PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team dug out of an early hole with a 17-5 run to end the first half, and then shot nearly 44 percent in the second half en route to a 79-69 victory over previously unbeaten Wingate on Monday evening in the English E. Jones Center.

The triumph marked the 11th win in the last 12 December home games for the Braves (6-0) who tallied just their third win (3-8) over the Bulldogs since the 1993-94 season. The setback snapped a five-game win streak for the Bulldogs (5-1) who had not lost in Pembroke since the 1991-92 season.

Brandon Winford registered a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting to pace the Black & Gold, while Ben Jacobs cashed in on his eighth career double-double with 17 points and a dozen rebounds, while also matching a career-best with four blocks. Brandon Watts chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds and a trio of assists for the Braves as well.

Terill Hilliard came off the bench to record a team-best 18 points for Wingate who shot just 38 percent in the second half. Ryan Daye tallied 15 points and Xavier Griffin added 10. The contest marked just the second time this season that the Bulldogs had failed to out-rebound an opponent (39-44).

"(Wingate) is a very good basketball team, so we felt really good about the win," said UNCP head coach Ben Miller. "This is one of those games that you had to play well in to have a chance. Our defense wasn't very good in the first half, but we guarded the ball a little better in the second half and that makes everything look better."

The Braves took a commanding 51-39 lead on a layup by Quamain Rose with 13:27 to play, but Wingate steadily chipped away at its deficit and got to within three points, 69-66, on Isiah Cureton's putback at the 2:58 mark. The Bulldogs would seal their own fate, however, by connecting on just one of their final four shots down the stretch. Griffin Pittman's layup with 17 seconds left gave the Braves a game-best 13-point lead, but Zeriq Lolar canned a 3-pointer nine seconds later to provide the final.

UNCP scored the first eight points of the night, but Wingate took advantage of cold shooting by the hosts to fuel a 26-6 run over the next nine minutes. The Braves got back into the game with a big run of their own, however, and scored 17 of the next 22 points to eventually take a 33-31 advantage on a pair of free throws by Keysheen Hinton with 37 seconds left before the intermission.

UNCP will open up a short two-game trip on Wednesday when it makes the short trip to Cumberland County for a rematch with Fayetteville State (6-2). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Felton J. Capel Arena.