YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The 21^st-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot 22-of-24 from the free throw line and rallied back from a 14-point deficit midway through the second half to top Young Harris, 81-78, on Saturday afternoon inside the YHC Basketball Arena.
 
The triumph completed helped the Braves (18-5, 13-4 PBC) complete a season sweep of Young Harris, while also helping the Black & Gold keep pace in the race for the Peach Belt Conference's regular season crown. The Mountain Lions (11-13, 9-9) fell to 2-7 all-time in the series with UNCP, including a 2-2 mark at home.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: No. 21 UNC Pembroke 81, Young Harris 78 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 18-5, 13-4 PBC; Young Harris 11-13, 9-9 PBC LOCATION: Young Harris, Ga. (YHC Basketball Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

Young Harris missed its first nine attempts from the field, but still managed to take a 4-2 lead on a jumper by Justin Jones at the 16:04 mark. David Strother's 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, however, would spark the Braves on a 9-0 scoring spurt that spanned the next two minutes. The Mountain Lions led by seven points, 32-25, after Brian Harper's layup with 5-1/2 minutes left before the break, but the Braves tacked up the next eight points and eventually retook the lead on two free throws from Akia Pruitt at the 3:51 mark. The hosts would close the half with a 9-2 run, however, to take a 44-37 advantage into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

The Braves trimmed a seven-point halftime deficit down to just one point, 53-52, on a jumper by James Murray-Boyles just less than eight minutes into the second half, but a fastbreak layup by Ryle Owens on the ensuing possession signaled a run of 11-straight points by the Mountain Lions that gave them a 12-point cushion with 10:48 remaining. Young Harris pushed its lead out to 68-54 on James Laput's lay-in less than a minute later, but Tyrell Kirk's 3-pointer at the 7:28 mark sparked the visitors on a game-changing 13-2 run that gave them a 74-73 advantage with 2-1/2 minutes left. Young Harris had a chance to regain the lead in the waning seconds, but Brian Harper lost his footing and was called for traveling with 23.8 ticks left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Sophomore David Strother registered 20 points on 5-of-10 field goal shooting. It was his third 20-point game of the season, but his first since scoring 20 in the home win over Columbus State. + Redshirt freshman Cam Hamilton keyed a 20-point performance in as many minutes of playing time by matching a career high with five 3-pointers. Hamilton tallied a career-best 21 points in the win over the Mountain Lions earlier this season in Pembroke. + Junior Akia Pruitt notched his 18th career double-double with 13 points and 15 boards on Saturday. It was his fourth double-double showing in the last eight outings. The 15 rebounds matched a career high for the Winston-Salem native. + Sophomore Tyrell Kirk (7) and junior Micah Kinsey (6) combined for 13 of UNCP's 21 assists on Saturday. Kirk added eight points and seven rebounds as well, while Kinsey turned in four rebounds and a pair of steals.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP canned 22 of its 24 free throw attempts on Saturday – the sixth time this season that the Braves have finished with 20 or more made free throws. The 91.7 percent success rate from the charity stripe on Saturday ranks second only to a 25-for-27 (.926) clip in the win at Mount Olive in November. + The Braves have now captured two-straight games at YHC Basketball Arena. UNCP is 7-2 all-time in the series with Young Harris, including a 5-0 mark in Pembroke. + The Black & Gold tallied 21 assists on Saturday – just the fourth time in 2018-19 that it has recorded 20 or more assists in a game, and the first since totaling 24 assists in the home win over Georgia Southwestern.

UP NEXT

The Braves will make the 38-mile drive to Dahlonega, Ga., on Sunday to take on North Georgia (9-14, 4-13 PBC) in the back half of a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader inside the Convocation Center.

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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.