FLORENCE, S.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne shot nearly 53 percent from the field and canned 14 3-pointers on the way to a 101-94 upset victory over the 11th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the PBC/SAC Challenge in Florence, S.C.
The setback snapped a six-game win streak in season openers for the Braves (0-1) who fell to 6-2 in such games under head coach Ben Miller. The Bears (1-0) have now won five of their last eight season openers, and avenged a double overtime setback to the Black & Gold last season in the same event.
Quamain Rose nearly chalked up his third career triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead UNCP, while senior big man Tyler Kordenbrock registered a career-best 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jihad Wright scored 18 points off the bench for the Braves as well.
Keenan Palmore poured in 36 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and six steals for the Bears, who also got 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting from Reed Lucas. The 14 treys by Lenoir-Rhyne were the most for the squad since connecting on 19 3-pointers in a 134-127 overtime loss at Newberry on Jan. 15, 2014.
Daylan Fuller's lay-in with 16:06 to play gave the Braves a 54-45 advantage, but Palmore's layup on the ensuing possession sparked the Bears on a game-changing 20-7 run that gave them the lead for good. UNCP trimmed an eventual 13-point deficit down to just six, 95-89, on Fuller's 3-pointer with 47 ticks left, but the Bears connected on all six of their free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the outcome.
The Black & Gold led by as much as 13 points, 39-26, after a layup by Wright with 3:26 left before the intermission, but Lenoir-Rhyne scored the final seven points of the opening stanza to go into halftime with just a 39-33 deficit. UNCP missed all six of its field goal attempts during the run.
UNCP will be back in action again on Saturday when the Braves suit up to take on Catawba in game three of the PBC/SAC Challenge inside Francis Marion's Smith University Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The Indians were a 71-68 victim to the host Patriots in Friday's opening game of the tournament.
