PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team saw an 18-point lead evaporate over the final 13 minutes of regulation, but the Braves shot 72 percent from the field in overtime and got a key layup from Jihad Wright with 19 seconds left to preserve a 76-75 win over Armstrong State on Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

It was the third-straight win for UNCP (14-11, 8-8 PBC) who thrust itself back into the race for the Peach Belt Conference East Division crown heading into the final three games of the regular season. The setback snapped a three-game win streak for the Pirates (10-13, 8-8) who have now lost 11 of the last 16 matchups in the series with the Black & Gold.

Brandon Watts registered his second double-double in three games with 25 points and 11 boards to lead the Braves, while Brandon Winford tacked up his 20th career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler Kordenbrock chipped in 13 points and Wright added a dozen for the hosts as well.

Shaquiell Mitchell tallied a game-best 19 points for Armstrong State, while Herbert Graham came off the bench to turn in 15 points.

The Braves missed their opening look of the overtime period, but connected on five of their next six attempts to seal the outcome. The hosts led by as much as five points, 70-65, with 2:41 left to play, but the Pirates made it a one-point game a minute later when Mitchell hit both ends of a two shot foul to get the visitors to within one, 70-69. The Braves, again, extended their lead back to five points after two free throws by Kordenbrock with a minute left, but Jamison Jeffers gave the Pirates another chance after hitting a clutch 3-pointer nine seconds later.

A layup by Watts at the 13:35 mark helped the Braves stake claim to a commanding 53-35 advantage, but Mitchell's 3-pointer on the ensuing possession ignited a 24-6 run for the Pirates that eventually knotted the game back up on Graham's perimeter shot just less than eight minutes later. Nicholas Scott stopped a nearly 3-1/2 minute scoring drought by both teams with a game-tying layup with 35 seconds left in regulation, and Bradley's potential game-winning shot with five seconds left careened off the side of the rim.

UNCP will close out the home portion of its 2015-16 regular season schedule on Wednesday when the Braves suit up to take on Flagler (8-17, 3-13) in the back end of a 5:30 p.m. Senior Night doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.