CENTRAL, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team's inside dominance produced 49 rebounds and 26 points in the paint and keyed a 66-49 victory over Southern Wesleyan at the Peach Belt Conference/Conference Carolinas Challenge on Friday evening inside Tysinger Gymnasium.
 
UNCP (1-0) proved triumphant in its fifth-straight season opener, and ran its record out to 11-5 in season openers under head coach John Haskins. It was just the second all-time meeting in women's basketball between the Braves and the Warriors (0-1).



 

THE BASICS

Score: UNC Pembroke 66, Southern Wesleyan 49 Records: UNC Pembroke 1-0; Southern Wesleyan 0-1 Location: Central, S.C. (Tysinger Gymnasium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Southern Wesleyan shot just 22.2 percent from the field in the first quarter, but led by as many as seven points, 13-6, after a free throw from Brooke Henricks just more than five minutes in. The Braves scored the final eight points of the period, however, to take the lead for good.

2ND QUARTER

The Braves connected on better than 53 percent of its field goal attempts in the second quarter and put together a 14-4 run to extend their advantage out to double digits, 28-18, with 4:47 left before the break. UNCP closed the half on a 9-1 run to lug a 37-22 lead into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

UNCP converted on just three field goal attempts in the third period, but back-to-back buckets from Diamond Fedrick and Jillian Ebron would pad the lead out to 17 points, 41-24, three minutes into the second half. Melanie Horne stopped a nearly four-minute scoring drought by both teams to push the visitor advantage out to 20 points at the 3:17 mark.

4TH QUARTER

The Warriors cut into their deficit with four-straight points to begin the fourth quarter, and eventually got to within 10 points, 57-47, on Treasure Lone's 3-pointer with 3:20 left. The Braves would counter with seven-straight points, however, and held the hosts at bay for the final 1-1/2 minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Melanie Horne registered her first double-double of the season with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds + Senior Aliyah Farmer also logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. + Jillian Ebron shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and scored a career-high 14 points.

NOTABLES

+ Friday's victory marked the fifth-straight season-opening win for the Braves. + The Black & Gold improved to 2-0 all-time against Southern Wesleyan.

UP NEXT

The Braves will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Barton (1-0) in game three of the Peach Belt Conference/Conference Carolinas Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside Tysinger Gymnasium.

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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.