NEWBERRY, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team canned nearly 58 percent of their shots from the field in the opening half and used a 21-6 run midway through the opening stanza to harness all of the momentum on the way to cruising to a 92-68 victory over region nemesis Catawba on Saturday afternoon at the Newberry-hosted Conference Challenge.
Ten different players registered at least two points for the Braves (2-0) who registered 56 points in the paint, while also finishing with a +19 margin in the rebounding column as well. It was the fourth loss in the last five series matchups for the Indians (1-1) who opened their 2021-22 campaign with a 12-point win over Johnson C. Smith on Friday.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 92, Catawba 68
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (2-0); Catawba (1-1)
LOCATION: Newberry, S.C. (Eleazer Arena - Conference Challenge) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| The Braves were off target with their first three field goal attempts of the contest, but misses came at a rarity for the Black & Gold after that. UNCP connected on 10 of their next 12 shots to manufacture a double-digit lead, 21-11, by the second media timeout, and eventually padded their lead out to 25 points, 44-19, following a driving layup from newcomer Deon Berrien. |
| 2ND HALF |
| UNCP limited the Indians to just 34.5 percent shooting in the second half to maintain a healthy advantage. Catawba strung together a 10-2 run early in the second half to trim its deficit down to 14 points, 62-48, and then pulled to within 13 points, 72-59, on a layup by Caleb Robinson with just more than eight minutes left to play. A 9-0 run by the Black & Gold minutes later, however, would push their lead back out to 25 points before UNCP hit cruise control. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Lander transfer Deon Berrien led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting in just 21 minutes on the floor. Berrien also added five rebounds and a steal as well.
+ Redshirt junior Jordan Ratliffe fueled a 17-point outing with a 6-for-7 clip from the free throw line. He also turned in six rebounds and a quintet of steals.
+ Spencer Levi totaled 16 points on an 8-for-12 clip from the floor, while fellow senior Tyrell Kirk tallied 10 points and eight rebounds. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ UNCP has out-rebounded its last 13 opponents dating back to the 2019-20 campaign, but Saturday's +19 margin was its largest disparity in the rebounding column since posting a 49-21 rebounding advantage against Clayton State in early January.
+ The Braves have captured seven of the last nine matchups in their NCAA Division II-era series with Catawba, including a trio of neutral site victories.
+ UNCP has also logged wins in five of its last six neutral site matchups. Saturday's contest was the first neutral site matchup for the Braves since a 90-87 setback to Columbus State in the 2020 Peach Belt Conference Tournament. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will open the home portion of their 2021-22 schedule on Wednesday evening when they suit up to battle local rival Fayetteville State (1-1) in a 7 p.m. tilt at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
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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. |
