PEMBROKE – The 19^th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 57 percent from the field in both halves and used a late 13-4 run to pull away for good as the Braves regained sole possession of first place in the Peach Belt Conference standings with a 109-89 triumph over USC Aiken on Wednesday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
It was the 14^th win in the last 16 outings for the Braves (20-5, 14-3 PBC) who also tacked up their sixth-straight victory at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court as well. The setback stopped a five-game win streak for the Pacers (17-10, 13-4) who have now come away empty-handed in six of their last nine trips to Pembroke.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: #19 UNC Pembroke 109, USC Aiken 89 RECORDS: #19 UNC Pembroke (20-5, 14-3 PBC); USC Aiken (17-10, 3-4 PBC) LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

The PBC Game of the Week lived up to the hype from the get-go with a first half that featured three tie scores and 16 lead changes. The Pacers converted on six of their eight field goal attempts over a 3-1/2 minute stretch in the first half, including four 3-pointers, and eventually took their largest lead of the night, 27-19, on a trey from Dhieu Dieng with 11:20 left before the intermission. The Black & Gold would answer by stringing together a 14-2 run to grab a four-point lead just more than three minutes later. Shaun Kirk's 3-pointer with 19 seconds left would give the hosts a 49-47 edge heading into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

The game was tied thrice in the first five minutes of the second half, but Shaun Kirk's jumper at the 14:53 mark signaled the first of seven-straight points by the hosts that gave them the lead for good. USC Aiken made it a one-possession game, 75-73, on Gus Rowland's layup with 10:09 to play, but a double technical foul by the visitors  bench just more than four minutes later turned the tables for good. The Black & Gold pushed their lead back out to double digits for good with 5:37 remaining, and led by as many as 22 points, 109-87, following a dunk from Tyrell Kirk with 23 ticks left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Tyrell Kirk poured in a game-high 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, while also flirting with a triple-double by finishing his night with 10 assists and six rebounds. The performance still marked the third career double-double for the Whiteville native. + Senior Shaun Kirk added 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 5-for-5 shooting in the first half. + Frontcourt mates Akia Pruitt (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Spencer Levi (14, 7) combined for 29 points and 15 rebounds on 12-of-15 (.800) shooting. + Sophomore Jordan Ratliffe tallied a dozen points, while junior David Strother turned in 11 points, including nine in the second half.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP has now registered wins in 14 of their last 16 outings dating back to a 24-point win over Clayton State on December 19. The Braves have outscored opponents by an average of 15.9 points over that stretch. + Tonight's victory marked the sixth-straight home win for the Black & Gold who has not lost in Pembroke since a 67-64 setback to Georgia College way back on December 15. + The Braves are ranked in the No. 2 position in the first edition of the NCAA Southeast Region Ranking that was released on Wednesday afternoon. UNCP is one of four Peach Belt Conference teams included in the initial poll.

UP NEXT

UNCP will close out a short two-game home stand on Saturday when they welcome Columbus State (15-10, 10-7 PBC) to Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The back half of the women's and men's doubleheader is slated to get underway at approximately 3:30 p.m. The Cougars posted a 108-90 home win over Clayton State on Wednesday evening.

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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.