PEMBROKE – Visiting USC Aiken outscored the UNC Pembroke men's basketball team by 20 points in the paint and used a mild run late in the second half to pull away for good as the Pacers picked up their first road victory of the season with an 85-76 win over the Braves on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
It was the third-straight home setback for the Braves (11-11, 5-8 PBC) who had their three-game series win streak stopped with the result as well. It was the second-straight win for the Pacers (5-15, 3-10) who have now won consecutive games for the first time in 2015-16.
Brandon Watts scored a game-best 24 points and came within one rebound of tacking up his second career double-double for UNCP who shot better than 81 percent from the line in the contest. Jihad Wright registered 15 points for the hosts as well, while Alex Bradley turned in eight assists.
Tavares Sledge grabbed his fifth double-double in the last six outings with 22 points and 10 boards for the Pacers, but also added six assists and a pair of steals as well. Jevon Patton scored 19 points for the visitors, while Arbry Butler turned in 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The Black & Gold put up eight-straight points to grab a 59-55 advantage after consecutive 3-points by Watts and Bradley with just more than 12 minutes to play, but USC Aiken took the lead for good seven minutes later when Patton nailed a 3-pointer at the 5:14 mark that capped a mild 7-2 scoring spurt. The Braves were within one point, 71-70, after Wright's running layup at the 4:15 mark, but went 2-for-9 from the field over the last four minutes and allowed the Pacers to pad their lead.
UNCP scored five-straight points just before the midway point of the first half to go up by as much as six points, 29-23, with 8:35 left before the break, but the Pacers scored 12 of the final 15 points of the opening stanza to lug a 41-38 lead into the locker rooms.
The Braves will close out a two-game homestand on Saturday when they lace up to battle PBC West rival Young Harris (12-10, 10-3) in the second half of a 1:30 p.m. Play 4Kay doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
