AIKEN, S.C. – USC Aiken scored 22 points in the paint and tacked up 17 offensive rebounds to fuel a 60-44 victory over the visiting UNC Pembroke women's basketball team on Wednesday evening inside the Convocation Center.
The setback marked the sixth-straight road loss for the Braves (8-17, 7-12 PBC) who fell to 2-11 away from Pembroke this season as well. The win snapped a four-game series losing streak for the Pacers (14-11, 10-9) who have now captured five of their last seven outings.
| THE BASICS |
Score: USC Aiken 60, UNC Pembroke 44
Records: UNC Pembroke 8-17, 7-12 PBC; USC Aiken 14-11, 10-9 PBC
Location: Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| The Pacers connected on four 3-pointers to distance themselves from UNCP in the opening period. Sade Johnson's trey just more than three minutes in gave the hosts the lead for good, and the Pacers padded their advantage out to eight points, 17-9, on Kyrie' Chandler's 3-pointer with 19 seconds left that capped the scoring in the opening period. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Braves shot better than 42 percent in the second stanza, but USC Aiken eventually extended its lead out to 13 points, 36-23, heading into the locker rooms. The Braves cut their double-digit deficit back to just five points after Tee Graham's jumper with five minutes left made it a 25-20 contest, but the hosts answered with an 11-1 run over the next four minutes of action. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| UNCP converted on just two of its 11 (.182) field goal attempts in the third period to allow the Pacers to add to their lead. USC Aiken led by as many as 22 points, 47-25, after Melyk Taouil's mid-range jumper at the 4:14 mark, but the Braves, who missed their first six field goal attempts in the period, finally found the bottom of the twine on Tee Graham's 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. UNCP eventually whittled its deficit back to 17 points heading into the final period. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| The Black & Gold outscored the Pacers in the fourth quarter, 12-11, despite showcasing just 27.3 (3-for-11) shooting. Aliyah Farmer trimmed the USC Aiken lead down to 14 points, 49-35, on a 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the stanza, but the Pacers scored 10 of the game's next 15 points to all but seal the outcome. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Junior Tee Graham finished with a team-high 16 points for the Braves, while also adding three rebounds and a pair of steals. She was the only UNCP player to reach double-figure scoring on the night.
+ Junior Aliyah Farmer came off of the bench to register eight points on 3-of-5 shooting in just 20 minutes of playing time.
+ Senior Alecia Hardy matched a game-high with three assists, while also turning in four points. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The Braves have now dropped six-straight road games dating back to a 64-59 overtime loss at Augusta in mid-January. The Black & Gold is now 2-11 away from Pembroke this season, including a 1-1 mark in neutral site contests.
+ Wednesday's win snapped a four-game series losing streak for the Pacers who had not defeated the Braves since Jan. 21, 2017 in Aiken. UNCP registered a 58-47 victory over the Pacers earlier this season in Pembroke. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will close out the home portion of their 2018-19 schedule on Saturday when they suit up to battle Clayton State (17-8, 13-6 PBC) at 1:30 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The program's four-member senior class – Brianna Baham, Alecia Hardy, Avery Locklear and Se'Dasia Love – will be honored prior to tipoff. |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Women's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Women's Basketball on Facebook. |
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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. |
