PEMBROKE – The fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot nearly 54 percent from the field, including an eye-popping 63.3 percent effort in the second half, and led for more than 37 minutes on the way to a 105-81 victory over fifth-seeded Georgia College in the quarterfinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday evening.
The result marked the seventh-straight PBC Tournament victory for the Braves (21-8) who have captured the tournament crown in each of the last two years. The setback was the sixth-straight PBC Tournament loss for the Bobcats (17-12) who were making just their second PBC Tournament appearance since 2012.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 105, Georgia College 81
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 21-8; Georgia College 17-12
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| The Braves canned seven 3-pointers in the first half alone, and a dreadful performance by the Bobcats from the free throw line allowed the hosts to eventually take a 46-31 advantage into intermission. The Black & Gold padded its lead out to double-digits after a layup from Micah Kinsey at the 14:05 mark made it a 19-9 contest. Georgia College made it a two-possession game, 21-15, on a fast break layup by Justin Cave just less than three minutes later, but a 3-pointer from Cam Hamilton on the other end of the court sparked a 16-3 run by UNCP over the next 3-1/2 minutes that inevitably led to its largest lead of the opening period, 37-18, with six minutes still remaining. |
| 2ND HALF |
| UNCP connected on nine of its first 11 shots (.818) of the second half and cushioned their advantage out to 22 points, 68-46, on a jumper by Carson Mounce at the 12:41 mark. The Braves converted seven of their final nine field goal attempts of the contest, however, and led by as many as 29 points, 105-76, following a jumper from Jayvian Hicks with 31 ticks left. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Sophomore Micah Kinsey tallied his first career double-double with 14 points and a school- and Peach Belt Conference Tournament-record 17 assists. The 17 assists is tied for second all-time in the league record books, and is the most for a PBC men's basketball player since Jan. 5, 2011.
+ Senior James Murray-Boyles scored 13 of his game-best 22 points in the first half, and keyed his offensive output with a 6-for-8 clip from the free throw line.
+ Sophomore Tyrell Kirk tallied 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while also adding five rebounds and matching a career-high with five steals as well.
+ Junior Akia Pruitt, sophomore Jamal Bryant and redshirt freshman Cam Hamilton each chipped in 11 points to the cause. Pruitt also contributed five rebounds and a pair of blocks. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ Wednesday's triumph was the seventh-straight victory for the Braves in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, as well as their fourth-straight home victory in the league's postseason event.
+ UNCP posted 100 or more points for the seventh time this season, and improved to 12-0 in 2018-19 when scoring 90 or more points.
+ The result marked the 199th career victory for head coach Ben Miller who improved to 199-129 (.607) in 10-plus seasons at the reins of the program.
+ The Black & Gold registered a season-best 26 assists in Wednesday's victory over the Bobcats – its most assists since tacking up 26 in a 117-102 win over Barton on Dec. 31, 2016. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will pack up their show and head to Augusta, Ga., on Saturday to battle the top-seeded and 15th-ranked Jaguars (24-5) in the semifinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 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. |
