PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's and women's basketball teams will attempt to set a new home attendance record on Wednesday evening when the Braves suit up to battle I-95 rival Francis Marion in a 5:30 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.
The Braves will honor their senior classes prior to each respective matchup. The women will bid adieu to seniors
Jasmine Huntley,
Phoenicia Lawson,
Jonissa Monley, Lashonda Prichard and
Airico Williams, while the men will honor
Alex Bradley,
Quamain Rose and
Mike Smith.
| UNC Pembroke Women (15-10, 10-8 PBC) vs. Francis Marion (16-11, 11-7 PBC) |
| Date & Tip Time |
Wednesday, February 22 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 Braves (15-10, 10-8 PBC) suffered their second consecutive loss on Saturday at Flagler, as the Saints toppled UNCP, 63-50, to give the Black & Gold its sixth-straight road setback.
- UNCP will haul an 11-1 home record into Wednesday's tilt, including a current 11-game winning skein at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Braves average more than four more points per game (67.9) in Pembroke in comparison to road contests (63.7) and shoot the long ball at a 36.5-percent clip in Pembroke compared to just 28.8 percent away from home.
- A trio of Black & Gold players rank among the PBC's 10 best 3-point shooters, as Ebone Stevens (41.8), Brianna Baham (37.7) and Blair Silliman (36.1) rank first, fourth and ninth in the league, respectively. Baham has been on a tear since the start of the new year and has raised her scoring average from 3.6 points/game to 10.3/game.
- Francis Marion (16-11, 11-7 PBC) has not dropped a game since January 28 and is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, including a 61-50 win over Armstrong State Saturday. Three Patriots scored at least 15 points in the victory over the Pirates.
- Shaunice Fulmore leads all Patriots and ranks second in the PBC with 16.8 points per outing, while Briana Burgins and Khai Chandler each chip in 12.9 points per tilt. Burgins grabs a team-best eight rebounds per game as well.
- The Patriots lead the all-time series 40-24, but the Black & Gold has picked up five of the last six meetings in Pembroke dating back to the 2010-11 season. In the teams' first meeting this season, Francis Marion capitalized on 20 UNCP turnovers in a 62-53 win on January 30 in Florence, S.C.
| UNC Pembroke Men (20-7, 13-5 PBC) vs. Francis Marion (11-16, 6-12 PBC) |
| Date & Tip Time |
Wednesday, February 22 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 (20-7, 13-5 PBC) have now won a season-best six-straight games after rallying to top Flagler, 97-93, on Saturday afternoon in St. Augustine, Fla. UNCP trailed by 11 points with 3:46 to play, but put together an 18-1 run over the next three minutes to fuel the win.
- Saturday's road win gives the Black & Gold a chance to wrap up at least a share of the Peach Belt Conference regular season title with a win over the Patriots on Wednesday. If UNCP and Augusta (at USC Aiken) both record victories on Wednesday, the squads will share the PBC title. A win by the Braves and an Augusta loss gives the Black & Gold the outright regular season title. UNCP has never captured a PBC championship in the sport of basketball (men's or women's).
- The Braves have now won 20 or more games for the third time under the direction of head coach Ben Miller – a milestone that was achieved just once in the previous 23 years prior to Miller's arrival on campus in 2008. Miller's teams have also tacked up four of the program's five winning seasons in league play as well.
- A win by the Braves on Wednesday would also set UNCP up to host the opening round of the PBC Tournament on Saturday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court (3:30 p.m. tipoff). A UNCP loss, coupled with a win by USC Aiken over Augusta, would relegate the Black & Gold to a road game on Saturday as the No. 3 seed from the PBC East.The Braves would also host the PBC Quarterfinal game on Saturday with a loss providing Augusta defeats USC Aiken as well.
- Francis Marion (11-16, 6-12 PBC) had its three-game win streak snapped with an 88-83 setback at Armstrong State on Saturday. The loss mathematically eliminated the Patriots from postseason contention, while also dropping the Patriots to 2-9 in road games this season.
- The Patriots are one of the league's top rebounding teams along with the Braves, and actually out-rebounded the Black & Gold by a 46-41 count in the 96-92 win over the Braves earlier this season in Florence, S.C. All-conference performer Detrek Browning ranks third among league leaders with 19.6 points per game, and is one of the PBC's best pickpockets at 2.1 steals an outing as well. Browning also ranks second in the league with 2.6 made 3-pointers per game.
- UNCP leads the all-time series with the Patriots, 41-33, in one of the PBC's oldest rivalries. The Braves are just 23-27 against Francis Marion since the schools made the transition to the NCAA Division II ranks prior to the 1992-93 campaign. The Black & Gold has won the last five meetings with FMU at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Twenty-three of the 50 previous matchups have been decided by six points or less, including 11 that were decided by a single possession.
