FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team shot better than 40-percent from the field and forced 30 turnovers en route to a 70-53 victory over Emmanuel on Tuesday evening at the Shaw Athletic Center.
 
The victory for the Braves (3-2, 2-0 CC) marks the second straight Conference Carolinas victory as well as the first victory on the road this season. The setback for the Lions (1-4, 1-1 CC) marks the second loss at home in the last three contests. 


 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 70, Emmanuel 53 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 3-2, 2-0 CC; Emmanuel 1-4, 1-1 CC LOCATION: Franklin Springs, Ga. (Shaw Athletic Center)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

UNC Pembroke opened the game on an 11-2 scoring surge capped off with a jumper in the paint from Gabby Smith that extended to the five minute mark. The Braves connected on 53-percent of their attempts from the field and limited Emmanuel to 41-percent shooting from the field during the frame, as UNCP held a 23-12 lead heading into the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER

An old-fashioned three-point play from Gabby Smith extended the Braves lead out to 31-19 just under the five-minute mark. The hosts cut their deficit back to 31-22 with a running layup from Reyonna Hopkins, but Courtney Smith's jumper at the buzzer sent the teams to the locker rooms with UNCP leading 40-29.

3RD QUARTER

The Braves used fastbreak layups from Gabby Smith and Naomi Gilbert, along with a jumper from Zaria Clark to start the half and push the Braves lead out to 46-29 just three minutes into the half. The Lions put together a 5-0 run to whittle their deficit back to 46-34, but the Braves cashed in on 46-percent of their shots to hold a 55-44 advantage heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

The Lions chipped away at the deficit, 57-49, with a jumper from Jazmin Allen two minutes into the quarter. The Braves responded with a 7-0 scoring run, and limited Emmanuel to just 3-for12 shooting from the field to help fuel the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Gabby Smith lead all scorers with a career-high 22 points. Smith connected on nine of her 15 shots and logged two rebounds and 1 assist in 28 minutes of action. + Naomi Gilbert recorded double-figure scoring with 17 points highlighted by a 3-for7 clip from beyond the 3-point line. Gilbert's 17-point performance marks the second-best scoring outing for her in a Braves uniform. + Alcenia Purnell added eight points along with six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

NOTABLES

+ The performance for the Black & Gold marks the highest scoring offensive output since a 79-72 loss against Francis Marion on February 17, 2021.  + The Black & Gold forced 30 Emmanuel turnovers and converted those into 23 points. + Gabby Smith's jumper at 9:34 in the first quarter established the first lead of the game and UNCP never relinquished that lead. This marks the second straight outing that the Braves have earned a first quarter lead and never lost it. + UNC Pembroke saw success during transition and working inside the paint with 22 fastbreak points and 36 points in the paint.

UP NEXT

The Braves will travel to Rock Hill, S.C. on Saturday for an exhibition contest at Winthrop (0-4). Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. inside the Winthrop Coliseum.

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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.