PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team used two key free throws from Gabby Smith and a steal from Jadin Gladden to secure a 61-60 overtime victory over Augusta on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
The victory for the Braves (2-7, 2-6 PBC) snapped a four game losing streak and handed the Jaguars (4-5, 3-1 PBC) their first conference loss of the season.







 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 61, Augusta 60 (OT) RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (2-7, 2-6 PBC), Augusta (4-5, 3-1 PBC) LOCATION: Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court (Pembroke, N.C.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

UNC Pembroke jumped out to an early 5-2 lead with a three ball from Alcenia Purnell two minutes into action.  Augusta knotted the score at five apiece on a made free throw from Zairya West with 5:24 on the clock. Both teams suffered from a cold shooting spell that stretched to the 2-1/2 minute mark before a jumper in the paint from Kiera Howard broke the silence to put the Jaguars ahead 7-5. UNCP used a shot at the buzzer from Kelci Adams to trail 11-9 heading into the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER

The hosts took its largest lead of the night, 23-13, off of two made free throws from Courtney Smith with 4:37 remaining in the half. Augusta whittled its deficit back to 25-20, with a three from Asia Harrison at the three minute mark, but the hosts held a 26-23 advantage as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

UNCP scored its first basket of the half with a trey from Alcenia Purnell to take a 29-27 lead just three minutes into play. Both teams suffered from cold shooting, but Asia Harrison broke the silence and knotted the score at 30 apiece with 3:45 remaining in the period. The hosts limited Augusta to 25-percent shooting from the field during the stanza, but trailed 35-34 heading into the final period of regulation.

4TH QUARTER

Augusta took its largest lead of the night, 44-38, with a 3-pointer from Zairya West with 4:16 to play in regulation. UNCP trim its deficit back to 53-51 with a layup from Gabby Smith with 12 ticks remaining on the clock. The Braves used two missed free throws from Augusta, and after a missed three attempt from Naomi Gilbert, Gabby Smith pulled down the rebound and put it back up to send the game into overtime.

OVERTIME

Augusta took a 59-57 lead with a jumper in the paint from Kiera Howard with 2:20 remaining. Naomi Gilbert knotted the score at 59 apiece with two made free throws, before the Jaguars knocked down the back end of two free throw attempts for a 60-59 advantage. Gabby Smith was fouled and nailed both free throws with three seconds left in play, and a steal from Jadin Galdden on an inbounds play secured the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Gabby Smith scored a game-high 16 points highlighted by a 8-for-10 clip from the free throw line. Smith just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. + Naomi Gilbert recorded a career-high 10 points. Gilbert pulled down four rebounds, logged two assists and one steal. + Jadin Gladden added seven points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Gladden also had four rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ The home team has now captured the victory in the last 10 meetings. + The Black & Gold posted a 39-31 advantage in the rebounds column. + The Braves picked up 19 points from its bench, highlighted by a 10 point outing from Naoimi Gilbert.

UP NEXT

The Braves will be back in action on Saturday when they welcome USC Aiken (2-5, 2-4 PBC) to Pembroke. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.  The event is closed to spectators.

STAY CONNECTED

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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.