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Tyrell Kirk USC Aiken 02142018
74
USC Aiken USCA 13-10, 10-9 PBC
86
Winner UNC Pembroke UNCP 21-4, 17-2 PBC
USC Aiken USCA
13-10, 10-9 PBC
74
Final
86
UNC Pembroke UNCP
21-4, 17-2 PBC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
USC Aiken USCA 40 34 74
UNC Pembroke UNCP 38 48 86

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

No. 18 Men’s Basketball Pulls Away Late To Turn Back USC Aiken

PEMBROKE – Freshman Tyrell Kirk cashed in on his first career double-double with a team-best 18 points and 10 rebounds and the 18th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team held visiting USC Aiken to its worst shooting night in nearly two months on the way to an 86-74 win over the Pacers on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
It was the 16th win in the last 17 home outings for the Braves (21-4, 17-2 PBC) who have now won 27 of their last 29 games against Peach Belt Conference opponents as well. The setback snapped a three-game win streak for the Pacers (13-10, 10-9) who have now dropped six of the last eight matchups in the series with the Black & Gold.
 
Kirk registered 11 points and seven rebounds in the second half alone and led a quintet of Braves in double figures on the night. Reigning PBC Player of the Week Nigel Grant turned in his ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 13 boards, while Brandon Watts connected on 9 of his 11 attempts from the charity stripe on the way to a 13-point outing. Akia Pruitt added 12 points, nine rebounds and a trio of blocks in the effort as well.
 
Robert Hill scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the visitors, but complemented his offensive numbers with career-highs in both rebounds (18) and blocks (6) as well. Markus Terry led all scorers with 19 points for the Pacers who shot just 37.9 percent from the field on Wednesday.
 
The contest saw seven lead changes and three tie scores in the first six minutes of the second half, but Grant's 3-pointer at the 14:09 mark put the hosts out in front for good. A 3-pointer from Terry with 7:23 remaining made it a two-point game, but Kirk's 3-pointer on the ensuing trip down the court sparked a 10-3 run that gave the hosts some much-needed breathing room the rest of the way out.
 
The Braves led by as many as nine points following Pruitt's jumper a little more than midway through the first half, but Henry Bolton's running jumper at the 5:37 mark ignited the visitors on a 12-4 run that knotted the score up at 33 apiece eight minutes later. Terry's layup with 22 ticks left would give USC Aiken a slight 40-38 edge heading into the locker rooms.
 
The Braves will be back in action again on Saturday when they head to Morrow, Ga., to take on second-place Clayton State (18-5, 16-3) in the back half of a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader at The Loch.
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