SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team used a 25-point second quarter and forced 21 turnovers on the way to a 57-42 victory over Converse on Friday evening inside Tom & Tracy Hannah Gym.
The victory for the Braves (10-6, 8-4 CC) snapped a two-game skid and marked the second straight victory against Converse. The setback for the Valkyries (3-10, 2-8 CC) marked the sixth-straight loss this season.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 57, Converse 42
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 10-6, 8-4 CC, Converse 3-10, 2-8 CC
LOCATION: Spartanburg, S.C. (Tom & Tracy Hannah Gym) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke took a quick 4-0 lead three minutes into action after layups from Lillian Flantos and Tiara Williams. Both teams suffered cold shooting and combined for 6-for-35 shooting from the field as the hosts held a 8-7 lead heading into the second period. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| UNCP started the quarter on a 6-0 scoring surge to push the lead out to 13-8 with 8:47 remaining in the half. Sydney Wilson broke the silence for the Valkyries with a jumper in the paint, but the Braves used a 19-0 run over the final eight minutes of the quarter to hold a hefty 32-13 lead as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| A fastbreak layup from Tiara Williams helped extend the UNC Pembroke lead out to 36-17 with 7:41 on the clock. Converse chipped away at their deficit, 36-21, with a basket from Lindsey Hardin just under the five-minute mark. Courtney Smith converted on the three-point play with 30 ticks remaining to give UNCP its largest lead of the evening, 43-21, heading into the final stanza. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| The hosts used an 8-0 scoring surge to whittle their deficit back to 45-32, with 4:39 remaining in regulation. Converse knocked down 12-of-17 attempts from the charity stripe during the period, but Alcenia Purnell's 3-pointer with 2-1/2 minutes remaining padded the lead for good. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Courtney Smith lead all-scorers with a career-best 18 points. The redshirt sophomore was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe, pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, tallied five assists and steals, and logged one block.
+ Gabby Smith added 16 points on an 8-for-17 shooting performance. Smith also had three rebounds, along with one assist and one block.
+ Zaria Clark registered nine rebounds while Tiara Williams added eight boards. Clark and Williams were each 2-for-2 from the free throw line. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The Black & Gold held the lead for nearly 36 minutes of action. Converse last held the lead with a slight 8-7 advantage at the start of the second quarter.
+ The victory for UNCP completes the season sweep over Converse.
+ The Braves pulled down a season-high 47 rebounds. However, Converse recorded 49 rebounds, which marked the first time in four games that UNCP has been outrebounded.
+ UNCP forced 21 turnovers and converted those into 20 points. The Braves only recorded eight turnovers. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will be back in action on Saturday when they make the short trip to Tygerville, S.C., to take on North Greenville (3-11, 3-7 CC). Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside Hayes Gymnasium. |
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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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| BACK THE BRAVES |
| 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. |
