PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team converted more than 62 percent of its first goal attempts in the opening half on the way to taking a big lead into the locker rooms, and then held home-standing North Georgia at arm's length the rest of the way out on the way to an 81-65 victory over the Nighthawks on Saturday.
 
The result marked the 12^th win in the last 13 outings for the Braves (18-4, 12-2 PBC) who have now posted wins in eight-straight games as well. The Nighthawks (11-11, 6-8) have now dropped 11 of the last 13 matchups in the series with the Black & Gold.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 81, North Georgia 65 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (18-4, 12-2 PBC); North Georgia (11-11, 6-8 PBC) LOCATION: Dahlonega, Ga. (UNG Convocation Center)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

A close game through the opening four minutes of action, Spencer Levi's dunk at the 15:17 mark ignited the Braves on a game-changing 15-3 run that gave the visitors a 24-10 lead just less than four minutes later. The Braves led by as many as 16 points in the opening half after David Strother's jumper with 9:13 left before the intermission made it a 33-17 contest. The visitors eventually toted a 48-33 advantage into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

The Braves took their largest lead of the afternoon, 52-33, on a layup from David Strother just more than two minutes into the second half. North Georgia whittled its deficit to as few as 11 points, 66-55, after Bailey Minor hit the front end of a two-shot foul at the 8:49 mark, but the Black and Gold eventually pushed its lead back out to 18 points following a 3-pointer from Akia Pruitt with four minutes to play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Spencer Levi came off of the bench to tally a game-high 16 points in 26 minutes of action. He fueled his point production with an 8-for-10 clip from the free throw line. + Sophomore Jordan Ratliffe put up 14 points, while also tacking up eight rebounds to flirt with a double-double performance. + Senior Akia Pruitt registered 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting, while also turning in five rebounds, two assists and one steal. + Junior David Strother added 11 points, including a 5-for-6 effort from the free throw line, and Tyrell Kirk finished with 10 points.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP's 8-game win streak matches the program's third-longest win streak of the NCAA Division II era. Both the 1999-00 and 2014-15 clubs put together nine-game win streaks. + UNCP was 28-for-55 (.509) from the floor on Wednesday. It is the 13th time this season that the Braves have converted on at least half of their field goal attempts.

UP NEXT

UNCP will continue a three-game road trip on Wednesday when they trek to Greenwood, S.C., to battle Lander (17-5, 11-3 PBC) in the back half of a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader inside Horne Arena. The Bearcats posted a 24-point home win (97-73) over Columbus State on Saturday.

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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.