ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team held Flagler to its worst shooting performance in six years and took the lead for good on a pair of free throws from Akia Pruitt just 11 seconds into the first half on the way to a 90-51 victory over the Saints on Saturday at Flagler Gymnasium.
 
The victory snapped a three-game road losing streak for the Braves (20-8, 15-7 PBC) who reached the 20-win plateau for an unprecedented third-straight year. The setback capped the 2018-19 season for the Saints (8-20, 5-17) who have now dropped 10-straight games in the series with the Black & Gold.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 90, Flagler 51 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 20-8, 15-7 PBC; Flagler 8-20, 5-17 PBC LOCATION: St. Augustine, Fla. (Flagler Gymnasium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

The Braves shot nearly 49 percent from the field in the opening half, including 13-for-20 (.650) shooting in the final 10 minutes of the opening stanza that fueled a 44-20 advantage at the intermission. Akia Pruitt connected a pair of free throw attempts just 11 seconds into the first period to give the Braves the lead for good, but UNCP had pushed its advantage out to double digits just more than four minutes later. The hosts trailed by just four points, 22-18, after Logan Swackhammer's 3-pointer at the 7:14 mark, but the Braves closed out the half with a 22-2 run to distance themselves from the Saints for good.

2ND HALF

The Braves scored five-straight points to push their lead out to 31 points, 70-39, after Cam Hamilton's 3-pointer with 9-1/2 minutes still left to play, and led by as many as 41 points, 90-49, following a pair of free throws by Jamal Bryant with 41 seconds left. The Saints shot just 35.7 percent from the field in the second half, but went just 1-for-9 from the field over the game's final 6-1/2 minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior James Murray-Boyles scored 13 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, and complemented his offensive numbers with five rebounds and a trio of steals. + Junior Akia Pruitt finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds to notch his seventh double-double of the season (19th career). + Sophomore David Strother added 11 points, three rebounds and a trio of assists, while junior Carson Mounce came off the bench to tally 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting. + Sophomore Micah Kinsey turned in a game-best six assists, while also adding four rebounds and three steals.

NOTABLES

+ Saturday's victory marked the first time in program history that the Braves have registered at least 20 wins in three consecutive seasons. + UNCP has now produced five 20-win seasons under the direction of head coach Ben Miller. The program has now reached the 20-win plateau 13 times over its 79-year history. + Flagler shot just 29.3 percent from the field on Saturday – its worst shooting percentage since turning in 28.9 percent shooting in a 56-40 home loss to Augusta on March 2, 2013.

UP NEXT

The fourth-seeded Braves will host the opening round of the 2018-19 Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. UNCP's opponent for the quarterfinal round will be determined on Sunday afternoon.

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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.