PEMBROKE – The 24^th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team rallied all the way back from a 14-point deficit with just more than 7-1/2 minutes left to play, but a buzzer-beating tip-in from Johnny Hughes with 0.1 seconds left lifted the Trojans to a 74-72 upset win over the Braves on Sunday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
The setback spoiled the home debut for the Black & Gold (5-2) who will return to the court again on December 9 when it welcomes Elizabeth City State to Pembroke. The result snapped a three-game series winless skid for the Trojans (4-4) who picked up their first road win of the 2019-20 campaign.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mount Olive 74, #24 UNC Pembroke 72 RECORDS: #24 UNC Pembroke (5-2); Mount Olive (4-4) LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

The Braves shot better than 55 percent from the field in the opening half, including a dominating presence inside the paint, but Mount Olive drained a quintet of 3-pointers and scored 10 points off of six turnovers by the hosts to keep itself in the game. The visitors scored four-straight points midway through the period to grab its first lead of the afternoon, 23-21, on a jumper from Johnny Hughes at the 9:39 mark and did not let go of the advantage for the remainder of the half.

2ND HALF

Darius Spragley's running jumper at the 9:42 mark sparked the Trojans on a 16-2 run that spanned the next three minutes and eventually gave the visitors a 69-55 lead with 6-1/2 minutes to play. Mount Olive connected on just one of its six field goal attempts after that and turned the ball over four times to fuel a 17-3 run by the Black & Gold that knotted things back up with 28 seconds remaining. Alan Treakle attempted to beat the buzzer with a running layup on the ensuing possession, and his miss was cleaned up by Johnny Hughes who tapped the ball into the bucket as the buzzer sounded.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Akia Pruitt scored a season 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting, and complemented his offensive numbers with six rebounds and a pair of blocks. + Senior Carson Mounce added a season-best 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. It was the second time this season that Mounce has turned in a double-digit point total. + Junior David Strother turned in nine points, seven assists and a pair of steals to highlight the backcourt for the hosts, while newcomer Jordan Ratliffe tallied a team-best seven rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ Sunday's setback snapped a nine-game win streak for the Braves in home openers. UNCP's last loss in a home opener came via a 100-92 setback to Fayetteville State on Nov. 16, 2009. + Sunday's contest also marked the opening leg of a season-long five-game home stand for the Braves.

UP NEXT

UNCP will take a one-week break from competition to focus on final exams, but will continue its five-game home stand on December 9 against Elizabeth City State (5-2). Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.   Reserved seat season tickets are still on sale for $90 and ensure fans a chairback seat at midcourt in the Peach Belt Conference's most electric environment. Fans can get an even more in-depth experience by purchasing season courtside seats for $200.

STAY CONNECTED

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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.