PEMBROKE – Kelci Adams knocked down a three just 17 seconds into the contest to establish a lead and the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team never looked back securing a 59-49 win over Erskine on Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The victory for the Braves (2-2, 1-0 CC) snapped a two-game losing skid and marked the first Conference Carolinas victory this season. The setback for the Flying Fleet (0-3, 0-1 CC) extended their losing streak out to three games.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 59, Erskine 49
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 2-2, 1-0 CC; Erskine 0-3, 0-1 CC
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke took a quick 7-0 lead off of a running layup from Diamond Fedrick with 4:13 on the clock. Erskine scored its only basket of the frame just 45 ticks later when Carmen Chandler drained a jumper. The hosts knocked down 50-percent of their shots and limited the Flying Fleet to just 6-percent shooting in the frame to hold a 14-2 advantage heading into the second quarter. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Braves extended their lead out to double-digits, 16-2, with a Lillian Flantos jumper just two minutes into the quarter. Erskine used an old-fashioned three-point play from Mariah Moody, to whittle their deficit back to 21-14, with just over three minutes left in the half, but the hosts held a 23-16 lead as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| UNCP opened the half on a 12-0 scoring run to take its largest lead of the night, 35-16, capped off with a fastbreak layup from Tiara Williams at the 6:45 mark. UNC Pembroke limited Erskine to just 2-for-9 shooting from the field during the stanza, and held 39-25 lead heading into the final period. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| The Braves pushed its lead back out to 51-32 fueled by a three-point play from Alcenia Purnell with six minutes remaining in regulation. The Flying Fleet strung together an 11-3 scoring surge to pull within eight points at the two-minute mark, but UNCP picked up five quick points from Tiara Williams to secure the final. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Senior Tiara Williams recorded a team-best 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Williams also logged four assists, grabbed three rebounds, and had two assists.
+ Alcenia Purnell also scored in double figures with 12 points. Purnell canned 3-for-6 of her attempts from beyond the 3-point line and dished out four assists.
+ Gabby Smith flirted with a double-double after an eight-point performance and pulling down six rebounds. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The Braves shot better than 43-percent in three of the four quarters. UNCP recorded a game-best 57-percent shooting in the final period.
+ The Black & Gold picked up an impressive 37 points from its bench highlighted by double-digit scoring from both Tiara Williams and Alcenia Purnell.
+ For the second time this season, UNC Pembroke has established a lead in the first quarter and never relinquished.
+ The Braves have captured three of their last four conference openers. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will be back in action on Tuesday when they trek to Franklin Springs, Ga., to face Emmanuel (0-3, 0-1 CC). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside the Shaw Athletic Center. |
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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. |
