AMERICUS, Ga. – Georgia Southwestern shot better than 62 percent in the fourth quarter and scored 18 points off of 21 turnovers by the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team on the way to a 60-55 victory over the Braves on Saturday afternoon inside the Storm Dome.
 
The setback snapped a two-game win streak for the Braves (8-10, 3-7 PBC) and marked the seventh loss for the Black & Gold away from Pembroke this season. The result put a stop to a five-game home losing streak for the Hurricanes (6-10, 2-8).


 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Georgia Southwestern 60, UNC Pembroke 55 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 8-10, 3-7 PBC; Georgia Southwestern 6-10, 2-8 PBC LOCATION: Americus, Ga. (Storm Dome)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Georgia Southwestern took an early 7-3 advantage off of a Dominque Jeffery layup with 8:30 on the clock. Both teams suffered from cold shooting, but UNCP converted on back-to-back possessions to knot the score at seven apiece at the 4:52 mark. The Braves outscored the Hurricanes 6-5 in the final minutes to take a 13-12 advantage heading into the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER

UNCP limited GSW to just 18 percent shooting as the Braves stretched their lead out to 23-17 off of a layup from Diamond Fedrick with 4:16 remaining in the half. The hosts were able to make it a two possession game, 23-19, on a running layup from Dominique Jeffery with three minutes left before the break, but the Black & Gold used treys from both ShaNiya Lester and Alcenia Purnell down the stretch to carry a 29-19 lead into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

Georgia Southwestern shot better than 53 percent in the third period and opened the second half with an 11-0 run and held the Braves to just 0-for-5 shooting on the way to a 30-29 lead just more than five minutes in. Tiara Williams broke the silence for UNCP with a 3-pointer that put the Braves back on top, 32-30, at the 4:27 mark. The hosts nearly doubled up the Braves over the reminder of the period, however, and eventually took a 45-50 lead into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

Georgia Southwestern took its largest lead of the afternoon, 55-43, on a layup from Yasmin Perez layup with 5-1/2 minutes left to play. The Braves put together a 10-0 run to tie the score at 55 apiece with 2:21 on the clock, but were unsuccessful on their next two possession as the Hurricanes took the lead for good on a trey from Yasmin Perez with just over a minute left in regulation.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ ShaNiya Lester scored a team-high 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field and also pulled down six rebounds. + Alcenia Purnell added 12 points – the fifth time this season that the newcomer had recorded a double-digit point total. + Jillian Ebron added nine points off of 4-for-5 shooting.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP was outscored 41-26 in the second half. That was fueled by a 26-point third quarter from Georgia Southwestern. + The Black & Gold posted a 37-26 advantage in the rebounding column. + The Braves have now come away empty on five of their last six trips to Americus, Ga. In retrospect, UNCP captured four of the series first five games in the Storm Dome from 1988-2012.

UP NEXT

The Braves will welcome I-95 rival Francis Marion (9-7, 5-5 PBC) to Pembroke on Wednesday for Military Appreciation Night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Lumbee Guarantee Bank Court. Fans are encouraged to wear black as part of the athletics department's "Black Out" promotion.

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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.