PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team limited Lees-McRae to its worst offensive performance this season on the way to a 66-32 victory on Friday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The victory for the Braves (5-2, 4-0 CC) marks the largest margin of victory since a 64-32 victory over St. Andrews on December 31, 2014. The setback for the Bobcats (0-5, 0-3 CC) was the second loss on the road this season.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 66, Lees-McRae 32
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 5-2, 4-0 CC, Lees-McRae 0-5, 0-3 CC
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| Alcenia Purnell drained a trey to help UNC Pembroke on a 10-0 run that extended to just under the three-minute mark. Destiny Johnson scored the only basket for Lees-McRae a minute later, and UNCP held an 11-3 lead heading into the second quarter. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The hosts pushed its lead out to 20-3 when Diamond Fedrick made the front end of two free throw attempts. The Braves limited the Bobcats to just 2-for-15 shooting during the frame, and a running layup from Hannah Russell at the buzzer sent the teams into the locker rooms with UNC Pembroke leading 27-9. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| Lees-McRae used an 11-4 scoring advantage to start the half and trim their deficit back to 31-20 with 6:54 left in the quarter. UNC Pembroke pushed its lead back out to 41-22 with a three ball from Kelci Adams at the two-minute mark and held a hefty 42-24 lead heading into the final stanza. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| An old-fashioned three-point play from Zaria Clark helped extend the UNCP lead out to 25-29 with 5:39 remaining in regulation. The hosts took its largest lead of the night, 66-32, with two made free throws from Jadin Gladden with 50 ticks for the final score of the game. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Zaria Clark established a career-high with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Month was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe and also pulled down six rebounds.
+ Alcenia Purnell added nine points highlighted by a 3-for-7 clip from the 3-point line. Purnell also logged three steals and had one block and assist.
+ Tiara Williams and Gabby Smith each recorded nine points. Williams pulled down four rebounds and had one assists. |
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| NOTABLES |
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+ The victory for the Black & Gold marked the largest margin of victory since a 64-32 victory over St. Andrews on December 31, 2014.
+ UNCP continued to pick up key points from its bench added 35 during the contest. Zaria Clark logged 15, while Hannah Russell added six and Kelci Adams registered five points.
+ The Braves forced 22 Lees-McRae turnovers and converted those into 24 points.
+ UNC Pembroke also recorded 13 steals, which marks the most since registering 14 at Georgia College on January 12, 2019.
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| UP NEXT |
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The Braves will be back in action Saturday to conclude Winter Wonderland Weekend when they face King (4-2, 3-1 CC). Tipoff is set for 2 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. |
