PEMBROKE – The 21
st-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team will resume its 2017-18 regular season schedule on Thursday when the Braves pack up their show and head to Wilson for a rematch with Barton. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Wilson Gymnasium.
Fans unable to make the trip to Wilson can follow the game for free via a live audio stream on the UNCP Sports Network with
Trevor Williams handling the play-by-play duties. The game can also be followed via live statistics and video links provided by Barton.
- The Braves (5-1) have not seen action on the hardwood since December 2 when they successfully lifted the lid on their Peach Belt Conference schedule with an 80-71 victory at Young Harris. The Black & Gold trailed by nine points at halftime in that contest.
- The Black & Gold has captured 11 of its last 15 true road games, including a 1-1 mark this season. The Braves dropped their road opener at Wingate in mid-November, but finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 10-4 clip in true road games.
- The Braves are 40-11 (.784) against non-conference foes over the last five seasons, including a perfect 11-0 record against such opponents during the 2013-14 campaign. UNCP has won six of its last eight regular season road games during that span as well, with both setbacks coming in Wingate.
- Sophomore Akia Pruitt is averaging a team-best 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds over the last five games, including double-double performances against both Catawba and Mount Olive. Pruitt has shot better than 54 percent from the field over that span, while also turning in 3.2 blocks per contest.
- The Braves are 43-26 all-time against Barton in a series that dates all the way back to the 1964-65 season. UNCP is 22-6 at home in the series since the start of the 1970-71 campaign, and has won seven of the last eight against the Bulldogs in Pembroke. The home team has won the last three matchups, including the Black & Gold's 94-88 win over Barton last month.
- In the midst of his 10th season at the helm of the Black & Gold in 2017-18, Ben Miller needs just 13 wins to match former Pembroke State legend Lacey Gane (1965-75) atop the program's all-time wins list. Miller has led the Braves to a 155-116 (.572) record in 9+ seasons as head coach. During that time, UNCP has made four trips to the NCAA Tournament (2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17) and has reached the 20-win plateau three times.
ABOUT BARTON
- The Bulldogs (5-4) have won three-straight games since their setback in Pembroke on November 15, and sit atop the Conference Carolinas standings with a perfect 3-0 record inside league play. Barton has averaged 81.0 points per game since the loss to the Braves, and have shot 46 percent from the field over the span as well.
- Three players are averaging 13.3 points per game or better for the Bulldogs this season, including sophomore Jeff Gordon who has registered a team-best 14.2 points per game through nine outings this season. Reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week Michael Boykin chips in 14.0 points per game, while junior transfer Bobby Stenborg puts up 13.3 points an outing. That trio combined for 51 of Barton's 88 points against the Braves last month at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
- Barton has won nearly 75 percent (26 wins, 9 losses) of its home games over the last 2+ seasons, including a 3-2 mark this season. Every triumph over the current three-game win streak for the Bulldogs has come in Wilson Gymnasium. The Bulldogs have captured three of the last four games against the Black & Gold in Wilson as well.
