AUGUSTA, Ga. – Top-seeded and 15^th-ranked Augusta limited the fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke men's basketball team to a 4-for-20 clip from the perimeter and took advantage of a noticeable disparity in the fouls column to key a 77-70 victory over the Braves on Saturday evening in the semifinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
 
The result put an end to a seven-game win streak in the PBC Tournament for the Braves (21-9) who will gather as a team on Sunday evening to learn whether they have received one of five at-large berths into the NCAA Southeast Regional. Saturday's triumph marked the 12^th-straight victory for the Jaguars (25-5) who will face either second-seeded USC Aiken or third-seeded Francis Marion in Sunday's tournament championship game.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: #15 Augusta 77, UNC Pembroke 70 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 21-9; Augusta 25-5 LOCATION: Augusta, Ga. (Christenberry Fieldhouse)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

UNCP shot nearly 49 percent from the field in the opening half and led by as many as eight points, 37-29, following a short jumper by James Murray-Boyles at the 3:26 mark. Augusta would answer with 3-pointers on their next three possessions, however, and closed the first half with a 13-2 run to eventually take a 42-29 advantage into the break.

2ND HALF

The Jaguars limited the Braves to just a 36.4 percent success rate from the field in the second half, but did not pull away for good until a pair of free throws from Deane Williams with 9:37 remaining signaled the start of 13-straight points for the hosts that eventually gave them a 67-54 lead three minutes later. The Braves were called for 16 fouls in the second stanza, and Augusta took advantage by tallying a 17-for-24 clip from the charity stripe.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Akia Pruitt registered a team-best 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while also tallying four rebounds and one block. + Senior James Murray-Boyles scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting before fouling out with 4-1/2 minutes left. + Sophomore Tyrell Kirk turned in 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while junior Carson Mounce came off of the bench to add nine points in 11 minutes of action.

NOTABLES

+ Saturday's loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Braves in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. UNCP won all three of its games en route to tournament titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and added a win over Georgia College in Wednesday's quarterfinal round. + The setback also snapped UNCP's three-game win streak against Augusta in Christenberry Fieldhouse. The last home win for the Jaguars in the series entering the weekend came on Jan. 2, 2016. The seven-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Jaguars in the series since an 80-66 triumph over the Braves in the championship game of the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Tournament. + UNCP fell to 11-6 in PBC Tournament play under head coach Ben Miller, including a 3-3 mark in the semifinal round.

UP NEXT

The Braves, who were listed No. 5 in Wednesday's NCAA Southeast Region poll, will have to wait until Sunday evening to find out whether they have received one of five at-large berths into the NCAA Southeast Regional. The tournament selection show is scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. at NCAA.com.

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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.