MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team connected on 23 free throws and knocked down 50-percent of their shots during the fourth quarter to help secure a 64-54 victory against Chowan on Tuesday evening at Bob Burke Court.
The victory for the Braves (4-2, 3-0 CC) marks the first road win against Chowan in the last two outings. The setback for the Hawks (1-3, 1-1 CC) marks the second straight loss to UNCP and the first loss on their home court this season.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 64, Chowan 54
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 4-2, 3-0 CC; Chowan 1-3, 1-1 CC
LOCATION: Murfreesboro, N.C. (Bob Burke Court) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| Chowan took a 13-7 lead off of a pullup jumper from Aniah Patterson with 2:39 left in the quarter. UNC Pembroke outscored the hosts 8-5 in the final two minutes, but the Hawks held a slight 18-15 lead heading into the second period. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Braves opened the quarter on a 5-0 scoring surge to take a 20-18 lead capped off by two free throws from Courtney Smith just two minutes into the period. UNCP limited Chowan to just 21.9-percent shooting from the field, but a layup from Keibra Hopkins as time expired put the hosts back on top 28-27 as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| Olivia Gaither's jumper knotted the score at 37 apiece with 5:25 on the clock, but UNC Pembroke used an 8-0 scoring run to push its lead out to 45-37 with 2:44 remaining in the period. Aniah Patterson broke the silence for the hosts with a trey, but the Braves held a 45-40 lead heading into the final stanza. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke used an 8-0 scoring surge to extend its lead out to 53-48 with a fastbreak layup from Tiara Williams just under the five-minute mark. The Braves canned 7-for-12 of their attempts from the charity stripe and limited the hosts to 6-for-20 shooting during the quarter to help secure the outcome. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Tiara Williams scored a team-high 13 points, highlighted by a 10-point performance in the fourth quarter. Williams grabbed six rebounds while also logging one assist and one block.
+ Alcenia Purnell added 11 points with six rebounds, two assists and one block.
+ Gabby Smith flirted with a double-doubled recording 10 points and pulling down eight rebounds.
+ Courtney Smith also had nine points thanks to a 7-for-8 clip from the free throw line. |
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| NOTABLES |
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+ UNCP's three-game win streak is its longest since the Braves rattled off five-straight wins during the 2016-17 campaign (Jan. 6-18, 2017). The Black & Gold has also now won consecutive road games for the first time since the start of the 2019-20 season (Nov. 8-16, 2019).
+ The Braves are 3-0 in conference play for the first time in the NCAA Division II history (1992-present) of the program, and the Black & Gold has now won three-straight conference games for the first time since the 2016-17 season (Jan. 14-18, 2017).
+ UNC Pembroke attempted a season-high 32 free throws. The Black & Gold made good on 23 of those attempts, while Chowan was just 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.
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| UP NEXT |
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The Braves will return to action on Friday when they welcome Lees-McRae (0-3, 0-1 CC) to Pembroke for Winter Wonderland Weekend. Tipoff is set for 5 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. |
