PEMBROKE – The 22^nd-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team turned 28 offensive rebounds into 35 second chance points and limited visiting Lander to just 27.6 percent shooting in the second half on the way to a 107-68 victory over the Bearcats on Tuesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
It was the 15^th-straight home win for the Braves (10-1, 5-0 PBC) who have now captured 23 of their last 24 contests in Pembroke. The setback snapped a two-game win streak for the Bearcats (4-9, 3-4) who have also dropped six consecutive meetings in the series with the Black & Gold.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 107, Lander 38 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 10-1, 5-0 PBC; Lander 4-9, 3-4 PBC LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

James Murray-Boyles connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key just 19 seconds into the opening half to give the hosts the lead for good. The Braves pushed their lead out to double digits, 20-10, on Spencer Levi's dunk seven minutes later. The Bearcats strung together an 8-1 scoring spurt to eventually cut their deficit down to just three points, 25-22, at the 9:10 mark, but the hosts scored the last 14 points of the first period to take a 57-40 advantage into intermission.

2ND HALF

The Braves led by 20 points, 62-42, after Tyrell Kirk's 3-pointer at the 18:04 mark, and took a 30-point lead, 93-63, on a pair of Akia Pruitt free throws with 4-1/2 minutes left. The hosts reached the century mark on Jamal Bryant's running jumper with 2:24 to play, and capped the scoring on a layup from Jayvian Hicks with 17 ticks left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Sophomore Spencer Levi cashed in on his first double-double in a Braves uniform after coming off of the bench to register 15 points and a game-best 13 rebounds. He added five assists, two blocks and one steal as well. + Sophomore Tyrell Kirk added 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while also turning in six boards. + Senior James Murray-Boyles totaled 14 points and six rebounds, while sophomore David Strother turned in 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals. + Jamal Bryant (12), Cam Hamilton (11) and Akia Pruitt (10) also reached double-figure scoring numbers on the night, while Micah Kinsey matched Spencer Levi with a game-best five assists.

NOTABLES

+ The result marked the 14th-straight home win for the Braves who have not lost at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court since Dec. 17, 2017. UNCP has also captured 23 of their last 24 contests inside its home arena. + The Black & Gold has out-rebounded nine of its 11 opponents this season, and has logged more boards than their opponents in each of the last eight contests. The Braves were on the better end of a 60-34 rebound disparity on Tuesday. + UNCP has now turned in 20 or more offensive rebounds in five games this season, including 28 against the Bearcats on Tuesday. That workmanlike efficiency has led to 21.9 second chance points an outing in 2018-19. + The Braves now have presence in both national polls that were released right before tipoff on Tuesday. UNCP jumped three spots to No. 22 in the Division II Media Poll, and made their season debut at No. 25 in the NABC Coaches Poll.

UP NEXT

The Braves will open up a two-game road trip on Saturday when they head to Milledgeville, Ga., to take on Georgia College (6-5, 1-4 PBC) in the Centennial Center. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 3:30 p.m.

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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.