GREENWOOD, S.C. – Jordan Ratliffe's 3-pointer with 21.3 seconds remaining in overtime tacked up the 18^th tie score of the afternoon, but Landrius Horton's go-ahead trey with 0.8 seconds left pushed the fifth-seeded Cougars to a 90-87 upset win over the 15^th-ranked and top-seeded UNC Pembroke men's basketball team in the semifinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Saturday.
 
The setback snapped a five-game win streak for the Braves (24-6) who dropped just their second PBC Tournament game in the last four years as well. It was the third win in the last four outings for the Cougars (18-12) who advanced to the championship game of the PBC Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Columbus State 90, #15 UNC Pembroke 87 (OT) RECORDS: #15 UNC Pembroke 24-6; Columbus State (18-12) LOCATION: Greenwood, S.C. (Horne Arena – PBC Tournament)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

Both teams shot 50 percent or better from the field in the opening half, but neither was able to gain much separation from the other. The Cougars took their largest lead of the period, 27-22, on Landrius Horton's 3-pointer at the 8:24 mark, but UNCP used a 6-0 scoring spurt later in the contest and tallied its largest lead of the half, 41-37, following a free throw by David Strother with four seconds left. A half-court heave from Bryant Givens found paydirt to make it a 41-40 tilt heading into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

The second half alone featured 13 lead changes and five tie scores. The Cougars scored nine-straight points midway through the period and took their largest lead of the afternoon, 74-67, on Hunter Preston's 3-pointer at the 6:19 mark, but the Braves whittled away at their deficit and forced a turnover with 10 seconds left to set the table for the 16th tie score of the ballgame. Spencer Levi's layup on the other end of the court would send the game into overtime.

OVERTIME

The Cougars shot better than 57 percent in the extra period, but UNCP stayed in the contest and had a handful of chances to go up on top for good. The Braves came up empty on three-straight possessions in the overtime period, and Landrius Horton's contested layup with 59 seconds remaining put the Cougars up 87-84. The Black & Gold went deep into the shot clock on the ensuing possession, but eventually got a game-tying 3-pointer from Jordan Ratliffe from 24 feet away.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Sophomore Jordan Ratliffe scored a team-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-for-6 success rate from the perimeter. + PBC Player of the Year Akia Pruitt scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, and flirted with his seventh double-double of the season by pulling down nine rebounds as well. + Junior Spencer Levi came off of the bench to add 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He also tallied a pair of blocks. + Junior Tyrell Kirk fueled a 12-point performance with a 5-of-5 showing from the free throw line.

NOTABLES

+ Saturday's result marked just the second loss for the Braves in their last nine PBC Tournament games. + Columbus State handed the Braves their first overtime loss since a 78-74 setback at Francis Marion on Feb. 6, 2014. UNCP had come out on top in nine-straight overtime contests heading into the weekend. + The Braves are now 12-14 all-time in the PBC Tournament. That clip includes a 3-6 record in PBC semifinal contests.

UP NEXT

The Braves will gather as a team on Sunday evening to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show which will air on NCAA.com at 10:30 p.m. UNCP maintained their No. 2 ranking in Wednesday's release of the NCAA Southeast Region poll.

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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.