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Nigel Grant Barton 01202018
65
Clayton State CST 9-5, 7-3 PBC
85
Winner UNC Pembroke UNCP 14-3, 10-1 PBC
Clayton State CST
9-5, 7-3 PBC
65
Final
85
UNC Pembroke UNCP
14-3, 10-1 PBC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Clayton State CST 41 24 65
UNC Pembroke UNCP 38 47 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Topples Clayton State, Runs Win Streak To Nine

PEMBROKE – Frontcourt mates Nigel Grant and Akia Pruitt combined for 42 points on 17-of-25 shooting, and the UNC Pembroke men's basketball team used lock-down defense in the second half to preserve the region's longest win streak with an 85-65 victory over red-hot Clayton State on Saturday.
 
It was the ninth-straight victory for the Braves (14-3, 10-1 PBC) who have now captured 24 of their last 28 games dating back to last season, as well as 12 of their last 13 outings at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Lakers (9-5, 7-3), who came into the day just 1-1/2 games out of first place in the Peach Belt Conference, have now dropped two of their last three contests.
 
Grant connected on his first nine field goal attempts of the day and scored 26 of his career-high 28 points in the first half, while also logging 10 rebounds to turn in his sixth double-double of the season. Pruitt capped his night with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks, while Whiteville native Tyrell Kirk finished with 14 points, including a 4-for-6 clip from the perimeter. James Murray-Boyles came off the bench to add a baker's dozen.
 
Denzel Council tallied 14 points to lead the way for Clayton State who shot an eye-popping 70 percent (7-for-10) from 3-point range in the first period, but logged just a 1-for-12 clip from distance in the second half. Jacarl Owens (13 points) was the only starter to log double-digit scoring for the Lakers.
 
A 3-pointer by Owens just 12 seconds into the second half pushed Clayton State's lead out to six points, but a jumper by Kirk at the 15:41 mark signaled an 11-4 run for the Braves that gave them the lead for good. UNCP shot nearly 58 percent (19-for-33) in the second half and led by as many as 21 points with 49 seconds left to play. The Lakers registered just 34.8 percent shooting in the latter period, including a 2-for-12 (.167) success rate over the game's final 3:19.
 
The first half resembled a track meet that resulted in 11 lead changes and two tie scores. Clayton State grabbed its largest lead of the game, 41-35, on a steal and an ensuing fast break layup by Dantez Bennamon at the 1:59 mark, but Grant hit the back end of a two-shot foul, as well as a jumper with 57 seconds left, to make it a three-point game, 41-38, heading into intermission.
 
UNCP will be back in action again on Wednesday when the Braves make the short trip to Florence, S.C., to take on Francis Marion (10-6, 5-6) in the back half of a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader inside the Smith University Center.
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