GREENDWOOD, S.C. – Peach Belt Conference-leading Lander scored 28 points off of 24 turnovers by the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team and used a 13-1 run late in the third quarter to pull away for good on the way to a 77-55 victory over the Braves on Wednesday at Horne Arena.
 
It was the third-straight road loss for the Braves (7-13, 6-8 PBC) who fell to 2-8 away from Pembroke this season with the result as well. The Bearcats (16-5, 13-2) have now won seven-straight games, as well as five-straight meetings with UNCP. Lander improved to 9-1 at home this season with the win.


 

THE BASICS

Score: Lander 77, UNC Pembroke 55 Records: UNC Pembroke 7-13, 6-8 PBC; Lander 16-5, 13-2 PBC) Location: Greenwood, S.C. (Horne Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Avery Locklear's mid-range jumper at the 6:54 mark gave the game its second tie score, but Lander drained 3-pointers on its next two possessions go out in front by five points, 11-6. The hosts staked claim to a 17-11 lead on Tabitha Dailey's layup at the 3:07 mark, but the visitors scored the final six points of the period to knot the score back up heading to the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER

The Bearcats scored the first six points of the second period, but the Braves battled back to tie the score again on Danielle Heath's lay-in with just more than two minutes left before the break. Lander got a layup from Jessica Harris on the ensuing possession, and then forced a turnover to eventually set up a pair of free throws from Amiaya Melvins that gave the hosts a 30-26 leading heading into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

The Braves closed the deficit to 30-29 on a running layup from Tee Graham just more than a minute into the second half, but the Bearcats put together an 8-2 scoring surge to stretch their lead back out to 38-31 just 90 seconds later. Avery Locklear and Tee Graham both hit layups to on consecutive trips down the floor to cut the deficit back to three points, 38-35, but Lander answered with a 13-1 run, including eight points from the charity stripe, to take a sizeable lead into the final quarter.

4TH QUARTER

Brianna Baham's trey at the 9:10 mark cut the Braves deficit back to single digits, but Lander took advantage of a nearly 4-minute cold-shooting spell by the visitors to stretch their lead back out to double-digits, 59-45 with just more than five minutes left to play.  Lander took their largest lead of the night, 75-50, on a layup by Sarah Crews with 84 seconds left to all but seal the outcome for the Bearcats.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Sophomore Melanie Horne recorded her third double-double in the last four games by pulling down a career-high 14 boards and scoring 10 points. + Tee Graham scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while also adding four rebounds and one steal. + Newcomer Danielle Heath added a career-best eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds as well.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP outshot the PBC leaders, 45.5-35.5 percent in the opening half, while also out-doing the league's best perimeter team in the first two quarters, 37.5-35.3 percent. + Lander is the first team in more than a month to shoot 40 percent or better from the field against the Braves. The Bearcats hit a layup with 12 seconds left to finish the night with 40.3 percent shooting. + The Bearcats have now won five-straight games in the series with the Braves. UNCP's last win over the Bearcats was a 63-60 triumph on Jan. 18, 2017 in Pembroke. + The triumph marked the seventh straight win for Lander who improved to 9-1 at home in 2018-19.

UP NEXT

The Braves will open a two-game home stand on Saturday when they face Georgia College (9-11, 7-7 PBC) as part of Play4Kay and National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Tipoff for the "Pink Out" contest is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

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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.