PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team shot 40 percent or better in three different quarters and limited visiting Francis Marion to just 27.5 percent field goal shooting on the way to a key 62-44 Peach Belt Conference victory over the Patriots on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
It was the third win in the last four outings for the Braves (9-10, 4-7 PBC) who have now strung together consecutive home triumphs for the first time in December 15. The setback snapped a four-game win streak for the Patriots (9-8, 5-6 PBC) who have now come away empty on five of their last seven trips to Pembroke.



 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 62, Francis Marion 44 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 9-10, 4-7 PBC; Francis Marion 9-8, 5-6 PBC LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Francis Marion took its largest lead of the night, 7-2, off of a layup from Kristian Wall just three minutes into action, but the Braves put together a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 9-7 lead. The hosts shot better than 55 percent in the quarter and trudged into the second stanza locked in a 14-14 tie.

2ND QUARTER

The Patriots knotted the score at 16-all at the 8:59 mark, but the Braves closed out the half with a 16-3 run to take a 32-20 advantage into the locker rooms. UNCP held the visitors to just 10 percent shooting in the period, as the Patriots knocked down their only bucket with 7:10 left before the break.

3RD QUARTER

Francis Marion had the hot-hand to start the second half and trimmed their deficit back to 32-28 on an 8-0 run just four minutes into the half. The Patriots limited the Braves to just 3-for-16 shooting, but the Black & Gold held tight to a 42-34 lead heading into the final period.

4TH QUARTER

UNC Pembroke took its largest lead of the night, 60-41, following a 3-pointer from Melanie Horne with three minutes remaining in regulation. The Black & Gold defense struck again in the fourth quarter and held the visitors to just a 2-for-12 success rate in the stanza.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Melanie Horne led the Braves with 18 points and has now scored in double-figures in five of the last six contests. + Alcenia Purnell added 15 points and pulled down four rebounds. She also added four assists. + Tiara Williams led UNCP on the glass with nine rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ The Black & Gold held the lead for more than 30 minutes of action on Wednesday evening against the Patriots, and took the lead for good with 8:06 left in the second quarter. + The Braves proved to be a dominant force with their inside game, outscoring Francis Marion 26-16 in the paint and putting up a 43-37 advantage in the rebound column. + UNC Pembroke has now captured five of the last seven meetings with the Patriots in Pembroke. + Wednesday's contest marked the third time this season that the Black & Gold has held an opponent to sub-28 percent field goal shooting.

UP NEXT

The Braves will trek to Morrow, Ga., on Saturday to take on Clayton State (10-9, 6-5 PBC). Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. inside The Loch.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow UNCP Women's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Women's Basketball on Facebook.

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.