PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's and women's basketball teams will make a short stop at home on Wednesday when the Braves bunker down to host USC Aiken in a key Peach Belt Conference basketball doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Tip off for the women's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with the men slated to get underway immediately following.
 
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 (14-8, 9-6 PBC) vs. USC Aiken (13-11, 9-6 PBC)
Date & Tip Time	Wednesday, February 8 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 (14-8, 9-6 PBC) lost their fourth-straight road game Monday, as Lander held UNCP to its lowest point total of the season in a decisive 73-44 victory. The Black & Gold is 4-7 away from home this season, compared to a 10-1 clip at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
• UNCP is shooting just 28.8 percent from behind the arc in road games this season, compared to a 35.7 percent-clip in Pembroke, and average more than three points per game more at home (67.6-64.2). The Braves' 10-game home winning streak is the longest since the 2004-05 season.
• The Black & Gold is tops in the league in defending the 3-point line, allowing opponents to shoot just 25.4 percent from long range, while shooting the deep ball at a 32.3-percent mark, second best in the PBC. Ebone Stevens (42.7), Brianna Baham (40.0) and Blair Silliman (35.6) rank first, third and ninth, respectively, among the league's best 3-point shooters.
• USC Aiken (13-11, 9-6 PBC) has dropped its last two games by a combined seven points, a 71-70 setback to Francis Marion and a 65-59 overtime loss to Armstrong State. The Pacers are 6-6 away from home this season, while averaging just 41.8 rebounds on the road compared to 48.5 per game in Aiken.
• The Pacers boast two players in double-digit scoring this season, as Kwajelin Farrar pours in 13.7 per outing and Rachelle Aupont scores 11.1 per tilt. Farrar leads the squad with 9.1 rebounds per game, which is good for fifth-best in the conference.  
• USC Aiken has won 40 of the previous 54 meetings between the schools, including the last six contests. The Pacers pulled out an 83-77 overtime victory when the sides met on Jan. 21, but each team is just 2-3 since that meeting. The last UNCP win in the series came Dec. 14, 2013, a 70-67 triumph in Pembroke.

 

UNC Pembroke Men (17-7, 10-5 PBC) vs. USC Aiken (16-6, 10-5 PBC)
Date & Tip Time	Wednesday, February 8 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 (17-7, 10-5 PBC) kept pace in the race for the 2016-17 PBC regular season crown with a thrilling 83-81 road victory over Lander on Monday evening. It was the second road win in just more than 48 hours for the Black & Gold who improved to 7-5 away from Pembroke this season.
• Wednesday evening's battle will feature the league's top two scoring offenses. The Braves average a PBC-best 85.6 points per game this season, while the Pacers boast an offense that puts up 83.8 points an outing. The Black & Gold is tops in the league in scoring margin (+8.2), while Aiken ranks third among the 14 PBC institutions in turnover margin (+1.73/game).
• Freshman Akia Pruitt has already registered six double-double performances this season, including three in as many games last week. The Winston-Salem native leads the league in blocked shots per game (2.2), and carries the league's sixth-best rebounding average (8.5) this season as well. He also ranks 13^th in the league with a .510 field goal average.
• USC Aiken (16-6, 10-5) has now won 10 of its last 12 outings after Monday's thrilling 86-85 home win over Armstrong State in which the Pacers canned a pair of free throws with one second left to win. That 12-game stretch includes an 83-81 home victory over UNCP on January 21.
• The Pacers boast four of the PBC's top 23 scorers, including three guys averaging 14.9 points per game or better. Jalin Barnes scores a team-best 15.5 points per game and is USC Aiken's best free throw shooter (81.4 percent), while Christian Nobles averages 15.3 points an outing and ranks eighth among league leaders with 3.8 assists per game as well. Henry Bolton (14.9 points/game) is the best 3-point option for the Pacers as he ranks third in the PBC with a 47.6 percent success rate from the perimeter.
• USC Aiken is 33-18 all-time against UNC Pembroke, and has won each of the last two matchups in the series. The teams split a dozen matchups from 1993-98, before the Pacers embarked on a run that saw them capture 20 of the next 24 meetings with the Black & Gold from 1999-2010. UNCP snapped a seven-game series losing skid with a 78-72 win over the Pacers in 2011, and has since split 14 meetings with USC Aiken.