PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team held visiting USC Aiken to its second-lowest offensive output of the season, and used a strong presence on the glass to fuel a 58-47 win over the Pacers on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
It was the second-straight win for the Braves (6-10, 5-5 PBC) who crept up into a three-way tie for fifth in the latest Peach Belt Conference standings with the result as well. The setback marked the fourth-straight series loss for the Pacers (9-8, 5-6) who also fell to 3-7 away from Aiken, S.C., this season.



 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 58, USC Aiken 47 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 6-10, 5-5 PBC; USC Aiken 9-8, 5-6 PBC LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Melanie Horne's 3-pointer just 3-1/2 minutes in put the Braves up 10-5, but USC Aiken tacked up six-straight points and eventually took its first lead of the contest, 11-10, on Kyrie' Chandler's 3-pointer two minutes later. UNC Pembroke would score the last two buckets of the period, including Avery Locklear's jumper with 1:09 left, to take a 14-11 advantage into the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER

A layup from Kwajelin Farrar cut USC Aiken's deficit back to 14-13, but a 3-1/2 minute scoring drought for both teams would ensue. Phenicia Howard broke the silence on a 3-pointer from the corner that gave the visitors a short-lived 16-14 advantage, as the hosts responded with a trey by Aliyah Farmer on the other end of the court to give the Braves a lead they would not relinquish. A scoring surge from the Black & Gold sent it into the locker room with a 29-22 lead.

3RD QUARTER

Tee Graham's running layup just two minutes into the quarter cushioned UNCP's lead out to double digits, 34-24. The Pacers cut their deficit back to 36-33 on a 3-point play by Kwajelin Farrar with 3:11 remaining, and then Pacers trimmed the deficit back to just one point with 67 seconds left. UNC Pembroke would score seven of the period's final nine points to go out in front, 48-40.

4TH QUARTER

UNC Pembroke took its largest lead of the night, 56-40, on a pair of Brianna Baham free throws with six minutes remaining in the game. The Pacers were never able to gain any kind of momentum in the final quarter thanks to a 2-for-16 shooting performance.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Tee Graham led the Braves in scoring with on a team-high 16 points, keyed by a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.  + Melanie Horne turned in a 13 point performance, with a 4-for-7 clip from the perimeter. + Avery Locklear pulled down a game-high and career-high 12 rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ The Braves have now strung together consecutive wins for the first time since Feb. 11-14 of last season. That mild win streak included a 9-point home win over USC Aiken, as well as a road win over Clayton State. + USC Aiken is the fourth opponent that the Braves have held to 31 percent shooting or less this season. The Pacers shot just 30.8 percent from the floor on Wednesday. + The Pacers ranked fifth, nationally, with a +11.4 rebounding margin heading into Pembroke, but the Braves posted a 47-36 advantage on the glass. USC Aiken had out-rebounded 15-straight opponents before Wednesday's loss.

UP NEXT

The Braves will travel to Morrow, Ga. on Saturday to take on Clayton State (10-6, 6-4 PBC). Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. inside The Loch.

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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.