PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 50 percent from the field, including a torrid 10-for-23 clip from the perimeter, and used a 13-0 run midway through the first half to key a 91-75 victory over Francis Marion on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The result marked the third-straight win for the Braves (9-7, 3-4 PBC) who have now won nine of the last 12 matchups in the series with their I-95 and PBC East rivals. The setback snapped a two-game winning streak for the Patriots (9-6, 2-5) who fell to 4-4 away from home this season as well.
Brandon Watts scored a team-best 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting to pace the Braves, who also got 14 points, six assists and five rebounds from Alex Bradley. Brandon Winford added 14 points and seven boards, while Tyler Kordenbrock registered 10 points and a game-best nine rebounds.
Mike Davis keyed a 27-point outing with seven 3-pointers for Francis Marion, who also got 13 points and five rebounds from Detrek Browning. Alante Fenner tallied 10 points for the visitors as well.
The Braves shot 53.1 percent from the field in the second half and led by as much as 24 points, 74-50, after a pair of free throws from Winford midway through the stanza. The Patriots cut their deficit back to single digits, 76-67, after a 3-pointer by Davis with 5:04 to play, but the hosts responded with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to put the final touches on the victory.
Browning's running layup at the 13:06 mark in the opening half helped the Patriots stake claim to a 10-point lead, 22-12, but the Black & Gold responded with a 16-2 run over the next six minutes and eventually took a 28-24 lead on a pair of free throws by Chris Smith with 7:08 left before the break. The hosts scored 10 of the stanza's last 12 points to take a 45-35 advantage into the locker rooms.
The Braves will close out a three-game home stand on Saturday when they suit up to battle North Georgia (4-12, 2-5) in the second half of a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
