MOUNT OLIVE – The 13th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team scored 19 points off of 16 Barton turnovers and opened the second half with a 10-1 run that keyed a 79-67 victory over the Bulldogs in the opening game of the 50th Annual Pickle Classic on Friday evening in Kornegay Arena.

It was the third-straight win for the Braves (3-1) who improved to 2-3 all-time in the Mount Olive-hosted tournament. The setback marked the second-straight loss for Barton (2-2) who also had its two-game series win streak snapped as well.

Brandon Watts scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds as well to notch his first career double-double outing. Seniors Quamain Rose and Brandon Winford both added 13 points for the Braves as well. Danny Shand connected on 10 of his 11 attempts from the free throw line on the way to scoring a team-best 21 points for the Bulldogs.

The Braves used a 10-1 run to open the second half and pad their lead out to 12 points, 47-35, just more than five minutes into the second stanza, but Barton clawed its way back into the contest and eventually tied the score at 60 apiece on a layup by Jake Veasley with 4:53 left to play. The comeback was not to be, however, as UNCP connected on all five of its field goal attempts down the stretch and hit 6-of-8 from the free throw line to ice the outcome.

The Bulldogs staked claim to a six-point lead, 20-14, with 12:20 to play in the first period, but the Black & Gold put together an 8-1 run midway through the first half and took the lead on a layup from Watts with 3:45 left before intermission. A buzzer-beating layup by Keysheen Hinton would give the Braves a 35-34 edge heading into the locker rooms.

The Braves will close out their stay at the Pickle Classic on Saturday when they lock horns with the host- and sixth-ranked Trojans (2-1) at 7:30 p.m.