PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 46 percent from the field and led by as many as 38 points amid a monster first-half effort that carried the Braves to a 105-70 victory over Young Harris in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams on Saturday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The Braves (5-1, 1-0 PBC) have now captured three-straight PBC openers, as well as 25 of their last 26 contests at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court dating back to the 2016-17 campaign. The setback marked the fifth-straight series loss for the Mountain Lions (2-5, 0-1) who remained winless on the road in the series as well.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 105, Young Harris 70
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 5-1, 1-0 PBC; Young Harris 2-5, 0-1 PBC
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court) |
|
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| Sharp-shooting by the Braves, coupled with a 5-of-31 shooting effort by Young Harris through the first 17-1/2 minutes of the contest, allowed the hosts to eventually grab a 38-point advantage, 56-18, after Spencer Levi's lay-in with 2:36 left before the intermission. The Mountain Lions would connect on their final four shots of the stanza, however, to trim their deficit back to 57-28 heading into the locker rooms. |
| 2ND HALF |
| Young Harris connected on three of its first four shots of the second half and whittled the deficit down to just 23 points, 67-44, after a running jumper by Nicksen Blanc at the 17:07 mark, but the Mountain Lions slipped back into their slump after that and drained just one of their next 11 field goal attempts. The Braves shot 63 percent (17-of-27) through the first 16-1/2 minutes of the second half and led 103-60 after a layup from David Strother. |
|
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Redshirt freshman Cam Hamilton scored 16 of his career-best 21 points in the first half and finished his night with five rebounds, a career-high six steals and a pair of assists as well.
+ Senior James Murray-Boyles became the 35th member of the program's 1,000-Point Club with 12 points and five rebounds. He also matched a career high with four assists as well.
+ Sophomore Jamal Bryant cashed in on his first career double-double, registering 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
+ Junior Akia Pruitt scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added six rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
+ Sophomore David Strother tallied 13 points and just missed his first career double-double with nine assists.
+ Frontcourt mates Spencer Levi (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Carson Mounce (10 points, 6 rebounds) turned in double-digit scoring numbers as well. |
|
| NOTABLES |
+ UNCP is now 13-14 all-time in Peach Belt Conference openers. The Braves are 6-5 in those contests under Ben Miller.
+ The Braves have now captured 25 of their last 26 home contests dating back to the 2016-17 season. UNCP is a perfect 2-0 at home in 2018-19.
+ Young Harris fell to 2-6 in the series with the Braves, as well as 0-5 against UNCP at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Braves have outscored the Mountain Lions by an average of 20.0 points (87.4-67.4) in those five meetings at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. |
|
| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will step back out of conference when they open up a three-game home stand on December 11 against Elizabeth City State (2-5) in the R.L. Vaughan Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. |
|
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
|
| JOIN THE BRAVES CLUB |
| Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Men's Basketball program by joining the Braves Club. To find out more information about the Braves Club, visit UNCPBraves.com/BravesClub or email braves.club@uncp.edu. |
