PEMBROKE – Visiting Barton whittled an 18-point second half deficit down to just a single possession with 2:53 to play, but the 22^nd-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team used a late 6-0 scoring spurt to pull away for good on the way to a 94-88 victory over the Bulldogs on Tuesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
The victory helped the Braves (3-1) stretch their non-conference home win streak out to eight games, while also keeping the Black & Gold unblemished in three home games this season. It was the fifth-straight road loss for the Bulldogs (2-4) who have not tasted victory in Pembroke in 17 years.
 
Nigel Grant scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, but UNCP got double-figure scoring from five other players as well. Freshmen David Strother and Tyrell Kirk both poured in a season-high 15 points, while Brandon Watts just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. Akia Pruitt registered 12 points and four blocks for the hosts as well.
 
Jeff Gordon scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting to pace the Bulldogs who were doubled up on fast break points (24-12), but managed to out-rebound (43-38) the nation's sixth-best rebounding club. Bobby Stenborg turned in 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting for the visitors as well.
 
Watts hit the back end of a two-shot foul to give the Black & Gold a 53-35 advantage just 90 seconds into the second half, but the Bulldogs used a 10-1 run minutes later to trim their deficit down to single digits. Grant's lay-in with 5:01 left to play put the Braves up by 10 points, 82-72, but Michael Boykin's driving layup 38 seconds later sparked the visitors on an 8-0 run that brought them within two after Gordon's jumper at the 2:53 mark.
 
That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get, however, as the Braves canned their next two field goal attempts, forced two turnovers and got key blocks from both Strother and Pruitt over the next 72 seconds to fuel a stretch that put the hosts up by eight points, 90-82, with just 1:41 remaining. Four-straight free throws by Pruitt and Kirk in the final 31 seconds would prove to be the final dagger.
 
The first 10-1/2 minutes of the contest saw four tie scores and as many lead changes, but a pair of free throws from James Murray-Boyles with 9:32 left before the intermission signaled a 21-4 run for the Braves that eventually gave them a 16-point advantage, 40-24, at the 3:03 mark. The hosts would eventually carry a 50-35 lead into the locker rooms.
 
UNCP will be back in action again on November 27 when it closes out a short two-game home stand against Mount Olive (3-1) at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.