AUGUSTA, Ga. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 61 percent from the field, including a 14-for-21 clip in the opening half, and got 40 points from its bench on the way to a key 93-88 victory over Augusta on Wednesday evening at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
 
The Braves (11-2, 6-1 PBC) have now won 13 of their last 15 games played inside the state of Georgia, including three-straight wins in Christenberry Fieldhouse. It was the fourth-straight series loss for Augusta (9-4, 5-2) who was handed its first home loss of the season as well.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 93, Augusta 88 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 11-2, 6-1 PBC; Augusta 9-4, 5-2 PBC LOCATION: Augusta, Ga. (Christenberry Fieldhouse)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

The Braves shot nearly 67 percent from the field in the opening half to set the offensive tone, but Augusta scored 13 points off of nine turnovers by the visitors to keep itself in the contest. The Jaguars led 14-10 after a dunk by Deane Williams at the 13:32 mark, but the Braves put together a scoring surge late in the stanza and led by as many as eight points, 38-30, after a 3-pointer from Cam Hamilton with 3-1/2 minutes left before the break. The hosts countered with a 15-3 run over the next three minutes and eventually took a 45-43 advantage into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

Augusta took a 53-47 lead on a Tyree Myers layup just 2-1/2 minutes into the second half and maintained the advantage for a good portion of the next five minutes of play, but Michah Kinsey's jumper at the 12:28 mark sparked the visitors on a 15-2 run that gave them the lead for good. Akia Pruitt hit the back end of a two-shot foul to give the Black & Gold an 82-74 lead with 4:27 left on the clock, but the Jaguars stormed back and pulled to within one point, 89-88, on a 3-pointer from Myers with 38 ticks left. The Braves answered with a Pruitt dunk on the ensuing possession, and then forced a key turnover with 18 seconds left to seal the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Sophomore Spencer Levi came off the bench to score a season-best 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 18 minutes of action. + Junior Akia Pruitt scored a team-best 17 points as well in just 26 minutes on the floor, while also adding two blocks and a trio of rebounds. + Freshman Cam Hamilton came off the bench to add a dozen points, five rebounds and two assists. + Sophomore David Strother turned in 12 points as well, keying his night with a perfect 8-for-8 clip from the charity stripe. He was 2-for-3 from the field as well.

NOTABLES

+ The Braves have now won 13 of their last 15 games played inside the state of Georgia – a stretch that dates back to a 77-72 victory at Augusta on Feb. 4, 2017. The Braves are 3-0 in Christenberry Fieldhouse over that stretch. + UNCP improved to 9-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points. The Braves have scored 90 or more points six times in 2018-19. + The Black & Gold shot 61.8 percent (34-of-55) on Wednesday evening – its best shooting night since shooting 61.9 percent (39-of-63) in a 115-92 victory at Armstrong on Feb. 21, 2015. + The Braves posted a 31-25 advantage in the rebounding column on Wednesday to improve to 9-0 this season when out-rebounding their opponents. UNCP is now 51-7 over the last 2-1/2 seasons when out-rebounding its opponent.

UP NEXT

The Braves will open up a three-game home stand on Saturday when they take on Columbus State (7-6, 3-5 PBC) in the back half of a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader that will highlight Youth Basketball Day at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

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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.