PEMBROKE – Wingate shot better than 56-percent from the field in the second half, including a 13-for-23 clip from the field, on the way to a 70-51 victory over the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team on Sunday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
The setback marked the final non-conference game of the season for the Braves (2-7) who opened up a season-long three-game home stands with the contest as well. It was the eighth win in the last nine outings for the Bulldogs (8-3) who have now won six-straight games in the series with the Black & Gold.


 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Wingate 70, UNC Pembroke 51 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 2-7; Wingate 8-3 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Alecia Hardy's three-pointer with 6:03 remaining in the first quarter jump-started the UNCP offense and gave the Braves a 7-3 advantage over Wingate. The Bulldogs would go on a 10-0 run to make the score 13-7 with 2:30 remaining. Melanie Horne closed the deficit, 15-12, with a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining in the quarter.

2ND QUARTER

Brianna Baham's fastbreak layup put the Braves back on top, 18-17, with 8:22 remaining in the half. The lead did not last long as Wingate's Danasia Witherspoon responded with a basket just under the eight-minute mark, 19-18. Wingate took advantage of a nearly four-minute scoring drought by the Braves after that, and closed out the period with a 13-5 run to take a 32-22 lead into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

The Braves got to within nine points, 38-29, after a fastbreak layup by Se'Dasia Love with 7:13 remaining in the quarter. The Bulldogs continued to find the basket and saw their largest lead of the quarter, 53-38, after a jumper by Teliyah Jeter.

4TH QUARTER

Melanie Horne's 3-pointer just four-seconds into the final quarter cut UNCP's deficit back to 53-43. The Braves were unable to slow down Wingate's offense who shot nearly 57 percent in the second half. Wingate posted its largest lead of the night, 66-46, on a Courtney Robinson layup with 4:31 remaining in the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Melanie Horne produced a game-high 14 points, while also pulling down nine rebounds and picking up two blocks. + Alecia Hardy turned in a 13-point performance, shooting 5-for-9 from the field. + Tee Graham added six rebounds on the night as well as five assists.

NOTABLES

+ Wingate outscored UNC Pembroke in the paint, 24-16, picking up 10 of those points in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs also posted a 45-29 advantage in the rebounding column. + Sunday's setback marked the third-straight series loss for the Braves at home. Wingate leads the all-time series, 15-2, including an 8-0 mark in Wingate. + Sunday's contest capped the non-conference portion of UNCP's 2018-19 schedule. The Braves finished 1-5 in non-league games. + The setback to the Bulldogs also marked the first leg of a season-long three-game home stand for the Braves who will also face North Georgia (Saturday) and Lander (Tuesday) at home over the next 10 days.

UP NEXT

The Braves will pick back up Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday when they take on North Georgia (8-1, 3-0 PBC) on Family Day at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED

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JOIN THE BRAVES CLUB

Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Women'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.