PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's and women's basketball teams will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon when the Braves make the long trek to central Alabama to take on Montevallo in a 2:30 p.m. EDT doubleheader inside Trustmark Arena.

WOMEN'S GAME NOTABLES:
• Most recently, the visiting USC Aiken Pacers knocked down 19 of their 25 foul shots and used a buzzer beater to seize the 49-48 Peach Belt Conference victory over the Braves on Wednesday evening inside the English E. Jones Center.

• Forwards Mary Robinson and Kierra Haney posted a team-high 10 points each, while Jazmine Kemp tallied nine points in her 35 minutes on the court with a game-high seven assists and three steals. Haney collected nine rebounds with five of those coming from the offensive boards as the Braves snatched 12 offensive rebounds for 10 second-chance points.

• The Black and Gold tied up the score for the last time with 3:11 remaining in the game on a foul shot from Katelyn Mitchell and senior Kamille Horne's layup with 45 seconds put the Braves up by one point. However, a hurried pass inside the post resulted in a last-second tip-in that tilted the game in favor of the Pacers.

• Kemp holds a team-best 9.8 points per game, while Haney averages 8.1 points per game and also controls a team-high 8.2 boards per game with Kemp and Mitchell following close behind with 5.8 and 5.1, respectively. As a team, the Braves shoot 32.9 percent from the field and continue to out-rebound opponents at a +2.8 margin.

• Montevallo enters into the matchup on a six-game losing streak and claimed its only win on Dec. 6 with a two-point victory over Stillman and fell most recently to Georgia College by seven points on Wednesday. Currently, Jacquelyn Thompson (15.4) averages double-digit scoring, while Katherine Goldsby leads the team with 5.0 rebounds per game. 

• UNCP and Montevallo will meet for the sixth time on Saturday in a series that has been controlled by Braves with a 4-1 advantage in the series despite suffering a loss last year. The Braves held a 6-point halftime lead in that contest, but were stopped by Montevallo after the Falcons worked their way back into the game to earn a 62-59 victory.

MEN'S GAME NOTABLES:
• The Braves have lost all seven previous meetings with the Falcons, including a 0-2 mark against Montevallo in Trustmark Arena. The Falcons have averaged 77.6 points per game in the series, while holding the Braves to just 63.9 points. Only two games in the series have been decided by less than 12 points.

• UNCP put the finishing touches on a perfect 6-0 home stand with a 10-point win over USC Aiken on Saturday and has now won 11-straight home games dating back to last season.

• The win over the Pacers on Saturday also gave the Black & Gold its best start (13-1) in program history – one game better than the 1990-91 squad that won each of its first 12 games before dropping two-straight contests. That team finished its campaign with a program-best 27-5 record, including three losses to then-Conference Carolinas foe Pfeiffer.

• UNCP skipper Ben Miller is now just one victoriey away from capturing his 100th victory as a head coach. Miller has compiled a 99-89 (.527) record in 6+ seasons in Pembroke and is the first Pembroke coach to carry a record at or above the .500 plateau since former athletics director Dan Kenney turned in a 124-78 (.614) clip from 1985-92.

• Montevallo has won seven of its last eight games, including all five Peach Belt Conference matchups, since starting the season with a 2-5 record, including three losses at a season-opening tournament in Puerto Rico. The Falcons lead the league and rank 18th nationally in rebounding margin (+8.5) and have shot a PBC-best 49.1 percent from the field through its first 15 games. The Falcons have connected on better than 51 percent of their shots from the field in their five PBC outings, including a 60-percent shooting night in a 71-56 win over Clayton State.

• Reigning PBC Player of the Year Troran Brown ranks second in the league with 20.5 points per game, while also pacing the league with 6.7 assists an outing. Three other Falcons average 12 points per game or better, including senior Larry Slaughter who is one of just two PBC players (Deangelo Kirkland, CSU) averaging a double-double this season with 12.0 points and a team-best 10.0 rebounds per outing. Ryan May (12.2 points/game) boasts a team-best 47.8 percent shooting from 3-point range, but Brown has connected on nearly 44 percent of his shots from the perimeter.