DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Melanie Horne's jumper early in the fourth period helped the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team take a commanding 16-point advantage, but 17^th-ranked North Georgia outscored the Braves 28-12 over the game's final 7-1/2 minutes on the way to a 66-62 win over the Braves on Saturday afternoon at the UNG Convocation Center.
 
The Braves (10-12, 5-9 PBC) registered a season-best shooting percent (44.7) from the field on the afternoon, but were still sent tumbling to their third-straight road loss with the result. Saturday's comeback triumph helped the Nighthawks (19-3, 12-2) stretch their home win streak out to 23 games.



 

THE BASICS

SCORE: #17 North Georgia 66, UNC Pembroke 62 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 10-12, 5-9 PBC; #17 North Georgia 19-3, 12-2 PBC LOCATION: Dahlonega, Ga. (UNG Convocation Center)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Julianne Sutton scored the first seven points of the game for either side, but UNC Pembroke scored seven of the game's next nine points to make it a one-possession game. The hosts would eventually lug a 13-11 advantage into the second period.

2ND QUARTER

UNCP opened the quarter with an 8-0 run and took a 19-13 lead on a jumper from Aliyah Farmer just 1:15 into the period. The Braves outscored the hosts 25-10 in the second quarter, and limited the Nighthawks to just 11 percent shooting, to a fuel a 13-point advantage, 36-23, for the visitors heading into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

Deja McCain's jumper at the 6:30 mark pushed UNCP's lead out to 43-30, but Julianne Sutton scored the game's next six points to cut North Georgia's deficit back to 43-36 with 3-1/2 minutes left in the quarter. UNCP got back-to-back baskets from Deja McCain and Aliyah Farmer to push its lead back out to nine points, 47-38, heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

UNC Pembroke took its largest lead of the afternoon, 54-38, on a jumper from Melanie Horne with 7:33 remaining in regulation. North Georgia knotted the score at 60 apiece when Julianne Sutton sank the back end of her two free throws six minutes later, and took the lead for good when Abbie Franklin hit the back end of a 1-and-1 opportunity at the line just 20 seconds later.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Aliyah Farmer scored a team-high 12 points and flirted with a double-double by pulling down a team-high eight rebounds as well. + Alcenia Purnell logged 12 points highlighted by a 3-for-5 clip from behind the arc. + Deja McCain turned in eight points and five boards, while also adding two steals and a block.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP shot 44.7 percent from the field compared to North Georgia's 34.4 percent. The Braves also limited UNG to just 3-for-22 (13.6%) shooting from behind the 3-point line. + The Black & Gold held the lead for more than 28 minutes (71%) of action. + The setback marks the sixth straight loss in Dahlonega, Ga. This is the smallest margin of defeat for the Black & Gold on the road in the series since the 58-49 loss on Jan. 28, 2018.

UP NEXT

The Braves will continue its three-game road trip when they travel to Greenwood, S.C., on Wednesday to take on league-leading and 22nd-ranked Lander (19-3, 14-0 PBC). Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside Horne Arena.

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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.