PEMBROKE – Newcomers
Tee Graham and
Alecia Hardy combined for 26 points, including 18 in the second half, and the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team used a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to grab a season-opening, 72-65 win over visiting Fayetteville State on Saturday afternoon in Pembroke.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: UNC Pembroke 72, Fayetteville State 65
Records: UNC Pembroke (1-0); Fayetteville State (0-1)
Location: Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court
Series: UNC Pembroke leads 21-10
HOW IT HAPPENED
Box Score/Play-by-Play
FIRST QUARTER
-The Braves took their first lead of the game at the 8:11 mark on a Hardy jumper and used a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 21-13 with under a minute to play in the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
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Avery Locklear buried back-to-back 3-pointers to award the hosts with their largest lead of the game at 37-18 with 3:13 to play and cap off a 14-0 UNCP run.
-Fayetteville State closed the gap to 10 with a 10-1 run to end the half and the Black & Gold lugged a 38-28 lead into the locker room.
THIRD QUARTER
-UNCP went almost two minutes without scoring early in the quarter which allowed the Broncos to rattle off a 13-0 run and grab their first lead since 2-0 at 48-46 with 1:47 on the clock.
FOURTH QUARTER
-Hardy's outlet pass found Graham for a fastbreak layup on the Braves' first possession of the fourth stanza to put the hosts back in front by one.
-A Fayetteville State 3-pointer put the Broncos ahead by two at 52-50, but Hardy knocked down only long ball of the night with 7:31 to play, which ignited a 10-0 UNCP run to put the Braves up by eight. FSU did not get closer than seven for the remainder of the game.
NOTABLES
-The Braves run their season-opener winning streak to three, including a win over Fayetteville State two years ago and a victory against Coker last season.
-Each side shot 45 percent from the floor and UNCP converted at a 33-percent clip from behind the arc and a 66.7-percent mark from the charity stripe.
-The Black & Gold forced 28 Bronco turnovers and turned in 31 points off the miscues, while the UNCP reserves chipped in 27 points to just eight bench points for Fayetteville State.
-Graham connected on 6-of-12 shots from the field for a team-high 15 points in her UNCP debut. Hardy logged 11 points in her first action as a Brave with a 4-for-6 shooting performance.
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Ebone Stevens tacked on nine points, while Locklear and
Melanie Horne each poured in eight points. Transfer
Kasey Drayton hauled in a match-best eight rebounds and added six points.
UP NEXT
The Braves will hit the road Sunday for an exhibition tilt with Division I UNC Wilmington. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at the Trask Coliseum in Wilmington. The Seahawks are coming off an 11-20 campaign in 2016-17 and knocked off Greensboro 81-37 in their first exhibition this season. Fans can follow along with the game with live links at uncpwbb.com.
