PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's and women's basketball teams will return from a week-long hiatus from competition on Saturday when the Braves suit up to take on Peach Belt Conference East Division rival Armstrong State in a 1:30 p.m. 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 (12-5, 7-3 PBC) vs. Armstrong State (7-12, 3-7 PBC)
Date & Tip Time	Saturday, January 28 at 1:30 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 (12-5, 7-3 PBC) lost for the first time in their last six outings on Saturday at USC Aiken. The Pacers edged UNCP, 83-77, in overtime - the second overtime game of the season (1-1) for the Braves. Ebone Stevens tied the game with six seconds to play in regulation, but USC Aiken outscored UNCP 10-4 in the extra period. The Black & Gold still sits alone atop the PBC East Division, despite being picked 12th of the 14 teams in the preseason coaches' poll.  
• Nyla Allen has put together back-to-back double-doubles, including a 14-point, 17-rebound outburst at USC Aiken on Saturday. Allen is averaging a double-double with 10.5 points and 11.0 rebounds over the last five games. Jonissa Monley leads all Braves with 11.4 points per game this season and has a team-best six double-doubles. She came just one point short of her career high in a win over Lander last week, pouring in 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
• UNCP leads the PBC in 3-point shooting (34.2) and Stevens sits atop the league with a 44.9-percent clip from behind the arc. The Braves rank second in the conference in 3-point field goals made per game (7.4), free throws made per game (15.0), defensive rebounds per game (31.9) and opponent 3-point field goal percentage (23.5). The Braves have been dominant at home this season, going 8-1 at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court, as opposed to a 4-4 mark on the road.
• Armstrong State (7-12, 3-7 PBC) has lost six of its last seven contests, including a 79-64 setback to Augusta on Wednesday evening. The Pirates committed 19 turnovers and were out-rebounded, 44-31.
• Machala Raymonville (15.8) and Mercedes Jenkins (11.7) lead the Pirates in scoring, while Lauren Woods grabs a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game. Armstrong State ranks second in the league in both 3-pointers attempted per game (21.7) and free-throw percentage (70.0), but allows opponents to shoot 35.8 percent from deep - the worst mark in the PBC.
• Armstrong State leads the all-time series 28-16, dating back to the first meeting during the 1992-93 season. The sides split two games last season, with the road team winning both games.     

 

UNC Pembroke Men (14-5, 7-3 PBC) vs. Armstrong State (8-11, 3-7 PBC)
Date & Tip Time	Saturday, January 28 at 3:30 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 (14-5, 7-3 PBC) had their five-game win streak snapped with an 83-81 road setback to USC Aiken in their last action on January 21. Jalin Barnes delivered the game's final dagger on a driving layup with 2.8 seconds left and provided the winning margin.
• UNCP will ride a four-game win streak into Saturday's contest and are 9-1 at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court in 2016-17. The Black & Gold has averaged better than 88 points per game in their previous 10 home outings and is posting 6.2 blocks and 18.0 assists an outing in its home arena as well.
• Freshman Akia Pruitt has tallied a league-best 2.1 blocks per game this season, and ranks among the PBC's top 5 individual leaders with 8.2 rebounds as well. Senior Alex Bradley ranks fourth in the league with 5.2 assists per game, and carries the conference's third-best free throw percentage (.857) as well.
• The Black & Gold still totes the league's best scoring offense (86.2 points/game) and has connected on better than 47 percent of its field goal attempts this season as well. Armstrong State will showcase the league's best free throw shooting team (.760), and ranks among the PBC's top 5 teams in 3-point field goals made per game (8.1) as well.
• The Pirates (8-11, 3-7 PBC) have now won back-to-back games for the first time since late November after Wednesday evening's 86-79 upset victory over 24^th-ranked and PBC-leading Augusta in Savannah. The win was fueled by a career-best 36 points from Corey Tillery who was 12-of-15 from the field in the outing, including an eye-popping 10-of-13 from the perimeter.
• Tillery is averaging a team-best 18.0 points per game this season and has scored 22 or more points in five-straight contests, including 34-plus points in each of the last two outings for the Pirates. Armstrong State has multiple options on the inside, however. K.J. James averages 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while frontcourt mate Denzel Council turns in 14.4 points and a team-best 8.9 boards an outing.
• Armstrong State has captured 26 of the 42 previous matchups heading into Saturday's game, but the Braves have captured 10 of the last 14 series meetings, including six of the last seven in Pembroke. UNCP had second-half leads of 18 or more points in both of last year's matchups, but both contests were inevitably decided by a lone possession.