YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The 19th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team battled back from a late six-point deficit to take the lead on Griffin Pittman's jump shot with 1:52 remaining, but Young Harris forced a key turnover two possessions later and used a pair of C.J. Wilson free throws with 10 seconds left to key a 72-67 victory over the Braves on Saturday afternoon inside YHC Basketball Arena.

It is the third loss in the last five outings for UNCP (19-4, 10-4 PBC) who dropped into a two-way tie with GRU Augusta for first place in the PBC East. It was the third-straight victory for Young Harris (8-12, 5-9) who had been mired in a nine-game losing streak just a week ago.

The Braves got double-digit scoring efforts from four different players including Brandon Winford who tallied his 16th career double-double with 14 points and a game-best 15 rebounds. Pittman and Quamain Rose both added 10 points, while Ben Jacobs came off the bench to tally 12 points and nine rebounds.

All five starters registered double-digit scoring days for the Mountain Lions, including Isaiah Johnson who poured in a game-high 21 points. Kevin Altidor added 15 points and came within a rebound of registering his fifth double-double of the season.

The Black & Gold out-rebounded the Mountain Lions by a 56-34 margin, including a 27-7 edge on the offensive glass. The Braves offset the outstanding rebounding effort by shooting a season-low 35.1 percent from the field, including 13-for-40 (32.5 percent) in the second half. Saturday's contest featured nine tie scores and 10 lead changes.

A tight game throughout, the squads combined for two lead changes and three tie scores in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Young Harris used a modest 7-1 scoring spurt to eventually grab a 56-50 advantage after Wilson connected on a free throw with 8:17 remaining. After the Mountain Lions took the lead for good on Herdie Lawrence's layup with 1:23 left, Johnson stepped in front of an errant pass from Pittman and converted the turnover into points on the other end of the court.

Rose would get two good looks from the perimeter in the final 25 seconds, but was unable to find the bottom of the net on either attempt.

Neither team was able to gain an edge in the first half, although Young Harris did take a 17-11 lead on Johnson's jumper with 10:50 left before the break. The Braves mustered a 28-25 lead on a Pittman jump shot at the 2:50 mark, but the hosts closed the half with a 9-2 run to take a 34-30 advantage into the locker rooms.

The Braves will open up a two-game home stand on Wednesday when they suit up to take on PBC East rival Lander (16-6, 8-6) in the back half of a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader inside the English E. Jones Center.