PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team pulled down 43 rebounds and shot better than 45 percent in the second and fourth quarters en route to a 66-51 victory over Coker on Friday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The Braves (1-0) have now won six out of the last seven season openers, with their only blemish coming last season. The Cobras (0-1) have now lost their last three meetings against the Braves, and are just 1-7 when playing in Pembroke.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 66, Coker 51
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 1-0; Coker 1-0
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke went on a 14-1 scoring surge that extended to the 40 second mark when Ahlea Myers drained a three for Coker's first basket. UNCP limited the Cobras to just 1-for-17 shooting from the field during the period, as the Braves held a 14-5 lead heading into the second quarter. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| Coker's Valicia Demeritte's jumper in the paint four minutes into the quarter whittled Coker's deficit back to 18-14, but an old-fashioned 3-point play from Lillian Flantos and a jumper from Zaria Clark pushed UNCP's lead back out to nine points, 23-14. The hosts shot a game-best 57.1-percent during the frame and held a 32-23 advantage as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke scored the first seven points of the half and extended its lead out to 39-23 with 8:41 left in the quarter. The UNCP defense held Coker to 0-for-9 from the field, but the Cobras knocked down eight of their 10 free throw attemots The hosts held a steady 47-31 advantage heading into the final stanza. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| Abigail Keesling drained three free throws to trim the deficit back to 55-46 with just less than three minutes remaining in regulation. The Braves put together a 9-0 run and took their largest lead of the night, 64-46, after a trey from Alcenia Purnell with 42 ticks left to play. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Alcenia Purnell scored a game-best 23 points and connected on 5-for-11 of her attempts from beyond the three point line. Purnell also logged four steals, three assists, and pulled down five rebounds.
+ Newcomer Lillian Flantos tallied her first points in Black & Gold and finished the night with seven points. The Lumberton native grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
+ Diamond Fedrick pulled down a career and team-best eight rebounds. Freshman Zaria Clark also helped UNCP on the glass with six rebounds. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The Black & Gold never trailed during the contest. UNCP also scored double-figures in all four quarters.
+ The Braves forced 20 Coker turnovers, and converted those into 17 points.
+ UNC Pembroke dominated the inside game scoring 22 points inside the paint. The Braves also saw success in transition scoring 17 points on fastbreaks. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will be back in action on Saturday when they face Wingate (0-1) in the final game of the Conference Carolinas/SAC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Women's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Women's Basketball on Facebook. |
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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. |
