AIKEN, S.C. – Peach Belt Conference-leading and fifth-ranked USC Aiken scored 24 points off of 18 turnovers by the UNC Pembroke men's basketball team, including a steal and fastbreak bucket with three seconds left, to key a 90-87 victory over the Braves on Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center.
 
It was the fourth loss in the last six outings for the Braves (18-7, 13-6 PBC) who shot better than 52 percent from the field and registered a 47-29 advantage in the rebounding column. The Pacers (23-2, 17-2) improved to 15-1 at home this season with the triumph – their 10^th victory in the last 11 outings. 
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: #5 USC Aiken 90, UNC Pembroke 87 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 18-7, 13-6 PBC; USC Aiken 23-2, 17-2 PBC LOCATION: Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

UNCP shot nearly 65 percent from the field in the first half, but USC Aiken registered 15 points off of 10 turnovers by the Braves to eventually take a 50-48 edge into intermission. The hosts grabbed an early 14-5 lead after a layup from Faison Brock at the 15:37 mark, but Cam Hamilton's 3-pointer on the other end of the court sparked the visitors on a mild 11-3 run that made it a one-point game just more than two minutes later. The Braves scored eight-straight points to grab a 31-30 lead on a Carson Mounce layup with 7-1/2 minutes remaining, but the Pacers regained control and eventually took a 45-39 lead after a trey from Ty'lik Evans at the 3:28 mark. David Strother's 3-pointer with two seconds left trimmed the deficit back to a single possession heading into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

Jamal Bryant got the Braves to within one point, 87-88, on a jumper with 39 seconds left, and then grabbed a big rebound off of a missed 3-pointer on the other end of the court. UNCP got the ball into the hands of Cam Hamilton coming out of a timeout, but the redshirt freshman coughed up the ball at the top of the key to seal the outcome. The Braves led by as many as six points, 78-72, after a 3-pointer from James Murray-Boyles at the 7:50 mark, but the Pacers reeled off an 11-4 run over the next five minutes and eventually took the lead for good on a layup by Xzavier Barmore with 2:54 to play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Akia Pruitt tallied a team-best 19 points, while also turning in eight rebounds, two steals and a pair of assists. The Winston-Salem native has now scored 12 or more points in 11-straight outings. + Senior James Murray-Boyles scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half. The Columbia, S.C., native was 5-for-9 from the field in the second stanza, including a 2-of-2 mark from the perimeter. + Sophomore David Strother chipped in 13 points and four rebounds for the Braves, while backcourt mate Micah Kinsey registered 11 points and a season-high seven boards.

NOTABLES

+ USC Aiken has now registered consecutive series wins for just the second time since the 2013-14 campaign. The Pacers swept their regular season series with the Braves for the first time since 2013-14 as well. + The Braves shot better than 50 percent from the field for the eighth time this season. Wednesday's result marked the first defeat for the Black & Gold when accomplishing that feat, however. + The 58 points in the paint were the most for the Braves since tacking up 70 points in the paint in the 86-72 home win over Georgia Southwestern on January 21 + UNCP has now out-rebounded 11-straight opponents dating back to that victory over Georgia Southwestern. The Braves have registered a +11.3 rebounding margin over that stretch, and have out-rebounded six of those opponents by 12 or more boards as well.

UP NEXT

The Braves will close out the regular season portion of their 2018-19 home schedule on Saturday when they battle Clayton State (9-16, 6-13 PBC) in the back half of a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. UNCP's lone senior, Columbia, S.C., native James Murray-Boyles, will be honored prior to tipoff.

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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.