FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion shot 52 percent from the field, including an impressive 12-for-24 clip from the perimeter, and held off a furious rally by the UNC Pembroke men's basketball team in the final minute, to key an 80-72 victory over the Braves on Wednesday evening inside the Smith University Center.
The result marked the third loss in the last four road outings for the Braves (19-8, 14-7 PBC) who locked up the No. 4 seed in next week's Peach Belt Conference Tournament with the result as well. It is the third win in the last four outings for the Patriots (20-6, 16-5) who have now won three-straight contests against the Black & Gold in Florence, S.C.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: Francis Marion 80, UNC Pembroke 72
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 19-8, 14-7 PBC; Francis Marion 20-6, 16-5 PBC
LOCATION: Florence, S.C. (Smith University Center) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| Buckets were at a premium for both teams in the second half, but Francis Marion used a couple of key scoring spurts to eventually take a 32-27 advantage into the intermission. Tyrell Kirk hit a pair of free throws at the 14:52 mark to give the Braves a 10-7 lead, but two free throws from Ryan Davis 44 seconds later sparked the Patriots on a mild 7-0 run that gave them a 15-10 advantage with 11-1/2 minutes left to play. UNCP strung together six-straight points to take a 20-18 lead after Akia Pruitt's jumper at the 5:49 mark, but the hosts swung the momentum again and eventually used a 3-pointer from Ryan Davis with three seconds left before the break to forge a five-point advantage. |
| 2ND HALF |
| Francis Marion offset 13 second-half turnovers by shooting nearly 71 percent from the field, including a 7-for-12 (.583) clip from the perimeter. The Patriots led by as many as 12 points, 60-48, after a 3-pointer from Brandon Parker with just less than seven minutes remaining, but the Braves scratched their way back into the contest and eventually pulled to within five points, 70-65, after David Strother's trey four minutes later. UNCP forced three key turnovers in the final 52 seconds, but missed their last six shots, including a trio of 3-point attempts. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Senior James Murray-Boyles matched a game-high with 21 points, while also matching a game-high with eight rebounds as well.
+ Sophomore Micah Kinsey tallied a season-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He also registered eight rebounds and seven assists.
+ Junior Akia Pruitt finished his night with 14 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
+ Sophomore David Strother added 11 points, and committed just one turnover on the night as well. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The home team has now won the last nine regular season matchups in the series. The Braves were the last to claim a victory on the road in the series – a 68-66 triumph on Jan. 14, 2015.
+ Wednesday's setback snapped a four-game series win streak for the Braves who claimed the last regular season matchup in 2017-18, as well as a pair of games in the postseason. UNCP also posted a 91-72 victory over the Patriots earlier this season in Pembroke.
+ Francis Marion clinched the No. 3 seed in next week's Peach Belt Conference Tournament, while the Braves will enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed. Both teams will play home games in Wednesday's quarterfinal round. UNCP will battle any of three teams (Georgia College, Lander, Young Harris) in Wednesday's quarterfinals. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will close out the regular season portion of their 2018-19 schedule on Saturday when they make the long trek to St. Augustine, Fla., to battle Flagler (8-19, 5-16 PBC) at Flagler Gymnasium. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
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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. |
