NEWBERRY, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 53 percent from the field and got double-digit scoring efforts from four different players to fuel an 85-76 victory at host-Newberry on Friday evening in the  opening round of the Conference Challenge.
 
The Braves (1-0) have now captured three-straight contests in the 6-game-old series with the Wolves, and have now captured 10 of their last 12 season openers as well. It was the second-straight season-opening loss for Newberry (1-0).
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 85, Newberry 76 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (1-0); Newberry (0-1) LOCATION: Newberry, S.C. (Eleazer Arena - Conference Challenge)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

Tyrell Kirk's 3-pointer at the 14:53 mark signaled an offensive surge that eventually pushed UNCP's lead out to double digits, 26-15, nearly six minutes later. The Black & Gold led by as many as 15 points, 32-17, after a Trenton McIntyre's short jumper with 5:50 left to play before the intermission, but the Wolves put together a 12-2 run to make it respectable at the break.

2ND HALF

The Braves shot better than 55 percent from the field in the second stanza, and used an 8-0 scoring spurt midway through the period to pull away for good. The Wolves whittled their deficit down to just six points, 76-70, with three minutes to play, but UNCP canned seven of its final 10 attempts from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Freshman Trenton McIntyre logged a career-best 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while also adding a career-high seven rebounds as well. He also registered a team-best two steals as well. + Senior Spencer Levi fueled a 17-point night with an 8-for-10 showing from the field. He also tacked up five rebounds, two assists and one block. + Freshman Nate Dunlop tallied a career-high 15 points off of the bench, including a career-best three 3-pointers (5 attempts). + Redshirt junior Jordan Ratliffe added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

NOTABLES

+ UNCP is now 15-15 in season openers across the 30-year NCAA Division II history of the program. The Braves have now captured 10 of their last 12 season openers, however. + The Braves have now won three-straight games in the all-time series with Newberry, and improved to 3-1 against the Wolves in the NCAA Division II era of the program. + The Black & Gold has now out-rebounded each of its last 12 opponents dating back to the 2019-20 campaign. UNCP posted a 40-36 advantage on the boards in Friday's win.

UP NEXT

UNCP will close out its portion of play in the Newberry-hosted Conference Challenge on Saturday when they lock horns with region nemesis Catawba (1-0) inside Eleazer Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Indians were an 81-69 winner over Johnson C. Smith earlier on Friday.

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BACK THE BRAVES

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.