AIKEN, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team scored 34 points off of 20 turnovers and used a key 9-1 run in the waning minutes to hand USC Aiken its first Peach Belt Conference loss of the season with a 79-74 triumph over the Pacers on Wednesday evening.
 
The Braves (13-4, 7-2 PBC), who have now captured seven of their last eight outings since mid-December, improved to 8-2 away from Pembroke this season with the result, while also snapping a two-game series losing streak. The setback snapped a five-game winning skein for the Pacers (12-7, 8-1) who saw their eight-game home win streak come to an end as well.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 79, USC Aiken 74 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (13-4, 7-2 PBC); USC Aiken (12-7, 8-1 PBC) LOCATION: Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

USC Aiken held the Braves to just 35.9 percent shooting and utilized early foul trouble to build its lead out to as many as nine points, 33-24, following Xzavier Barmore's running layup with 4:41 left before intermission. Jordan Ratliffe's 3-pointer on the other end of the court, however, sparked the visitors on a half-ending 10-2 run that pulled the Black & Gold to within a point, 35-34, heading into the locker rooms. That run was fueled by a 0-for-6 shooting performance by the hosts who also committed a trio of turnovers in the 4-1/2-minute span.

2ND HALF

The Braves shot north of 53 percent in the latter stanza, and took its first lead since the early minutes of the second half on Tyrell Kirk's 3-pointer at the 15:21 mark. USC Aiken put together an 11-0 run and went out in front by seven points, 58-51, after a jumper from Shaquan Jules with 11-1/2 minutes left, but the Braves countered with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to swing the score in their favor.   The Pacers took a one-point lead, 65-64, on another layup from Jules with 5:39 left to play, but a pair of free throws from Spencer Levi on the other end of the court marked the first of nine-straight points by the Black & Gold that turned the momentum for good.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Spencer Levi notched his first double-double in a Braves uniform with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in just 28 minutes on the floor. + Junior David Strother tallied a team-best 15 points as well, while also matching a career-high with five steals. + Junior Tyrell Kirk registered 10 of his 13 points in the opening half, and complemented his offensive numbers with six rebounds and a pair of steals. + Junior Jordan Ratliffe added a dozen points, while also turning in five rebounds as well. + Senior Shaun Kirk finished his night with eight rebounds and a career-best four blocks in just 15 minutes of action.

NOTABLES

+ The Braves finished the night with a season-high 16 steals – the most steals for the club since tallying 17 in a win at Flagler in March of last season. + The Black & Gold also added a season-best eight blocks – its most blocks since registering eight swats in a win at Columbus State on Dec. 17, 2018. + The Braves have now come away with wins in four of their last six trips to Aiken, and are 7-4 against the Pacers overall since the close of the 2013-14 campaign. + Senior Akia Pruitt finished his night with nine rebounds to up his career total to 909. He needs just five more boards this season to move atop the PBC's all-time rebounders list.

UP NEXT

The Braves will close out their short two-game road trip on Saturday when they make the long trip to Americus, Ga., to battle Georgia Southwestern (8-7, 3-6 PBC) in the Storm Dome. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. The Hurricanes dropped an 87-61 decision at Young Harris on Wednesday evening.

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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.