CHARLOTTE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team canned 15 3-pointers – including 10 in the first half alone – and rallied back from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half to top Tusculum, 81-79, on Saturday evening inside Queens University's Levine Center.
The victory kept the Braves (4-0) unbeaten through four games, and sets up a battle between two undefeated teams when the Black & Gold meets seventh-ranked Queens on Sunday in the Levine Center. The loss was the first of the season for the Pioneers (3-1) who have now locked horns with four Peach Belt Conference teams in 2019-20.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 81, Tusculum 79
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (4-0); Tusculum (3-1)
LOCATION: Charlotte, N.C. (Levine Center – Queens Tournament) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| UNCP shot better than 56 percent in the opening half, including a 10-for-14 success rate from the perimeter, and led by as many as eight points, 35-27, after Jordan Ratliffe's trey at the 5:30 mark. The Pioneers closed out the first period with six-straight points, however, and trailed by just one point, 45-44, heading into the break. |
| 2ND HALF |
| Spencer Levi hit the front end of a two-shot foul to give the Braves a 51-48 edge just less than 4-1/2 minutes into the second half, but a jumper by Tariq Jenkins on the other end of the court sparked Tusculum on a 13-0 run that gave it a 61-51 lead at the 10:21 mark. The Braves would whittle away at their deficit, however, and eventually retook the lead for good on a short jumper from Akia Pruitt with 1:22 left to play. The Pioneers made it a one-point game, 80-79, after a Dillon Smith jumper, and had a chance after Tyrell Kirk was only able to hit the back end of a double-bonus opportunity on the other end of the court, but Dillon Smith's desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was off target. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Newcomer Jordan Ratliffe scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 6-of-9 clip from beyond the arch. Ratliffe added five rebounds to his stat line as well.
+ Juniors Tyrell Kirk (7-of-10 shooting) and Tyrell Kirk (4-of-7) both added 18 points to UNCP's final point tally. Strother racked up six assists and a pair of steals as well, while Kirk registered five assists.
+ Senior Akia Pruitt tallied 13 points and seven rebounds, including eight points in the second half. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ Saturday's matchup marked the first-ever meeting on the hardwood between the Braves and Tusculum.
+ UNCP is 4-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 squad captured its first seven outings of the season.
+ The Braves connected on 15 3-pointers in Saturday's win over Tusculum. It is the most 3-pointers for the Braves since registering a 15-for-28 clip from the perimeter in a road win over North Georgia on Jan. 15, 2007. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will close its stay in Charlotte on Sunday when it returns to the Levine Center to battle seventh-ranked Queens (3-0). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
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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. |
