PEMBROKE – Riding a wave of momentum after registering big victories over the holiday weekend, the UNC Pembroke men's and women's basketball teams will wrap up a three-game home stand on Wednesday when the Braves suit up to host Peach Belt Conference East Division rival Lander in a 5:30 p.m. Neon Night doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
Fans unable to attend the game can still follow the game for free via a live video stream on the UNCP Braves YouTube channel with Cameron Songer handling the play-by-play duties. The game can also be followed via a live statistics link as well.


 

UNC Pembroke Women (11-4, 6-2 PBC) vs. Lander (10-4, 4-2 PBC)
Date & Tip Time	Wednesday, January 18 at 5:30 p.m. EST
Location	Pembroke, N.C.. | Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court
Live Statistics	Stat Broadcast
Video	YouTube
Peach Belt Conference	Women's Basketball

 
WOMEN'S NOTES

• The Lady Braves (11-4, 6-2 PBC) ran their winning streak to four with an upset of No. 17 North Georgia on Monday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. UNCP improved to 7-1 at home this season and 2-1 against teams ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll.
• Newcomer Brianna Baham posted a season-high 20 points in Monday's win - the second 20+-point performance for a Brave this season. Baham has canned at least nine points in six-consecutive outings, bringing her season average to 7.8 per game which is third-best on the team. Senior Jonissa Monley continues to lead the charge for the Black & Gold with team-bests in points (10.5) and rebounds (8.4) per tilt. Classmate Jasmine Huntley pours in 10.1 points per game and leads all Braves with 3.6 assists per outing. Junior Ebone Stevens now leads the PBC in 3-point field goal percentage, hitting on 44.6 of her shots from deep after going 2-for-4 Monday.
• UNCP leads all PBC institutions with 7.3 3-pointers per game, as well as a 34.1 3-point field goal percentage. The Braves hold opponents to just 24.3 percent shooting from behind the arc - second best in the league - and commit just 15.5 turnovers per outing which is third fewest in the conference. The Black & Gold is currently in a tie with USC Aiken for the top spot in the highly-contested PBC East Division.
• The Braves were provided a tough stretch of league games to begin the season, having faced teams with a combined 77-40 (.658) record through their first eight PBC games. UNCP's remaining 11 games are against opponents with a combined record of just 78-94 (.453).
• Lander (10-4, 4-2 PBC) has sole possession of third place in the PBC East Division, having played two fewer games than the teams tied atop the division. The Bearcats are winners of four of their last five overall and are 5-3 away from home this season.
• The guests from Greenwood, S.C., boast the top-two scoring leaders in the PBC in Breshay Johnson (18.7 points/game) and Ty'hesha Reynolds (18.2). Johnson also leads the league in field goal percentage at 64.1 and sits second in rebounds per game at 10.3. Reynolds is a threat from long range, ranking third in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 43.0.
• As a team, Lander leads the PBC in both points per game (83.4) and field goals made per game (30.0), as well as 3-point field goal attempts per game (23.5), free throws made per game (16.1) and assists per game (17.9). The Bearcats are outscoring opponents by an average of 16.8 points per outing (83.4-66.6).
• Lander leads the all-time series with UNCP 31-19, including the last four meetings. The Bearcats are 14-2 against the Braves dating back to the 2009-10 season, with the two UNCP wins coming in 2012 and 2014. Lander rolled to a 72-39 win in Pembroke last season. 

 

UNC Pembroke Men (13-4, 6-2 PBC) vs. Lander (5-10, 2-4 PBC)
Date & Tip Time	Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m. EST
Location	Pembroke, N.C.. | Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court
Live Statistics	Stat Broadcast
Video	YouTube
Peach Belt Conference	Men's Basketball

 
MEN'S NOTES

• The Braves (13-4, 6-2 PBC) thrust themselves into a share of the lead in the Peach Belt Conference standings with a dominant 89-71 victory over then-PBC-leading North Georgia on Monday in Pembroke. It was the fourth-straight victory for the Black & Gold who also took down PBC-leading Young Harris on Saturday.
• UNCP now boasts the league's second-best scoring average (86.6 points/game) – just 0.1 off of league-leading Columbus State's 86.7 points an outing. The Black & Gold has averaged 87.0 points over its last five outings and it outscoring opponents during that span by an average of 12.6 points per game.
• Three players average at least 12.2 points per game for the Braves, including newcomer Nigel Grant who puts up 15.4 points per contest on the strength of 51.1 percent field goal shooting. Alex Bradley (12.8 points/game) carries the PBC's fourth-best assists per game (5.3) average and third-best steals per game (1.9) average.
• Lander (5-10, 2-4 PBC) had its two-game win streak snapped with Saturday's 80-66 home loss to Columbus State. Although on a recent hot streak, the Bearcats have dropped seven of their last nine outings, including their last five December contests.
• The Bearcats rank among the league's top 3 teams in 3-point field goal percentage (.374) thanks, in large part, to the antics of leading scorer J.R. Washington (18.6 points/game) who has drained better than 44 percent of his perimeter shots this season. Rahu Purdie averages 14.5 points per game, and is one of the league's most potent free throw shooters (83.6 percent).
• The Braves are 22-29 all-time against Lander, including a 20-29 clip against the Bearcats as members of the Peach Belt Conference. The Bearcats registered a 19-3 mark against the Braves from 1997-98 to 2006-07, but the Braves are 11-7 against Lander since that time and have won 10 of the last 15 series matchups, including seven of the last nine series matchups in Pembroke.