Box Score

PEMBROKE – A season-best 13 triples propelled the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team to a season-high 79 points and a 79-66 upset of No. 17 North Georgia Monday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court in a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee.
 
The victory was the fourth straight for the red-hot Braves (11-4, 6-2 PBC), who have now won six of their last seven outings to remain in a tie for first in the highly-contested PBC East Division race. The Black & Gold improves to 2-1 against ranked teams this season. The setback is just the second in the last nine games for the Nighthawks (13-3, 5-2 PBC), who allowed over 22 more points than their season average of 56.9.
 
Five different Braves connected on multiple 3-pointers, paced by Blair Silliman who hit on 4-of-5 in 15 minutes off the bench for a season-best 12 points. Brianna Baham impressed with a season-best 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. It's the second 20-point outburst for a Brave this season. Nyla Allen, Jasmine Huntley and Ebone Stevens each hit a pair from long range to highlight a 13-for-25 team performance from deep, the first time this year UNCP has shot at least 50 percent from three-point land.
 
Up 12-11 after ten minutes of action, the Braves dominated quarter number two, outscoring the guests 28-21 to run their season total to a hefty 263-22 advantage in the second frame. The UNCP lead swelled to as many as 12 at the 2:33 mark when Huntley swiped the ball and ran the length of the floor for the easiest of her 14 points to cap off a 13-0 run.
 
The Nighthawks pulled within six twice in the final two quarters, but could not come any closer in what becomes their largest loss of the season after eight- and four-point defeats. The Braves led by as many as 17 with just over two minutes on the clock in the fourth.
 
The Black & Gold committed a season-low nine turnovers, leading to just 11 UNG points, while turning 17 Nighthawk miscues into 24 on the other end.  The UNCP bench outscored North Georgia's reserves 27-10. The Braves led for over 36 minutes, allowing the guests to be out front for just over 90 seconds total.
 
The Braves wrap up a three-game, five-day home stand Wednesday when PBC East foe Lander invades Pembroke. Tipoff is set for 5:30 on the front end of a women's-men's doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Bearcats (10-4, 4-2 PBC) sit third in the division race and are winners of four of their last five overall.