HICKORY – Senior Rontonio Stanley ran for a career-high 192 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries as the 24^th-ranked UNC Pembroke football team spoiled Homecoming in Hickory with a 36-20 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday afternoon at Moretz Stadium.
 
It was the third road victory of the season for the Braves (5-1) who also improved to 14-13 all-time against South Atlantic Conference (SAC) schools. It was the second loss in the last three outings for the Bears (2-4) who fell to 1-4 in Hickory this season as well.
 
Stanley tacked up the third-best rushing day in program history, and keyed the performance with touchdown runs of 79, 45 and 50 yards. B.J. Bunn hauled in seven catches for 102 yards – his fifth career 100-yard receiving game – and quarterback Patrick O'Brien threw for 217 yards and a first quarter touchdown on 19-of-32 passing. Quay Threatt caught a 13-yard scoring pass as well.
 
Code Black tallied seven tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks, and limited Lenoir-Rhyne to just 106 yards on the ground to key the victory. Elijah Williams turned in a game-best 11 tackles (4 solo), while Marquin Hill and Alpha Lamin both cashed in on sacks. The Braves also broke up eight passes.
 
Yards were at a premium for both offenses in the opening half, but the Braves were the first to get off the mark thanks to a Lenoir-Rhyne turnover. O'Brien's floater to Threatt from 13 yards out gave UNCP a 7-0 lead with 3:48 to play in the first half, but the Bears answered on the ensuing drive. A 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive that took just 3:13 off of the second quarter clock was keyed by a costly offsides penalty by the Braves on fourth down, as well as a key 44-yard pass moments later. The hosts would inevitably knot things back up on Jarrod Kellar's 13-yard pass to Jaquay Mitchell.
 
The Braves would take the lead into the locker rooms, however, driving 33 yards on just five plays and 33 seconds before Matt Davis converted on a 49-yard field goal as the clock hit all zeroes.
 
A 38-yard field goal by Davis on the opening drive of the second half would give the visitors a 13-7 edge, but it was Stanley that helped put the game out of reach. The Nakina native and South Columbus High School product scored on long runs to cap each of UNCP's next two possession and make it a 26-7 game with six minutes left to play in the third period.
 
A 50-yard field goal by Davis early in the fourth quarter gave the Braves a 29-14 lead, but Lenoir-Rhyne would not go away and cut it to 29-20 (conversion failed) with 3:49 left in the game. The Bears recovered an ensuing onside kick but, after a potential game-changing drive stalled near midfield, Stanley galloped 50 yards two plays later to put the final nails in the coffin.
 
The Braves will open up a two-game home stand on October 15 when they suit up to host Kentucky Wesleyan (1-4) on Robeson County Schools Day at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.