| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 76, Francis Marion 66
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 17-1, 14-1 CC; Francis Marion 7-9, 5-9 CC
LOCATION: Florence, S.C. (Smith University Center) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| Francis Marion shot nearly 52 percent in the opening stanza, and used a 10-for-12 showing from the free throw line to fuel a 42-34 advantage at the break. The Braves used a 13-2 run to offset an early 8-3 deficit, and then traded blows with the hosts for much of the next seven minutes of action. A 3-pointer from Tionne Rollins at the 4:40 mark ignited a late 10-2 run for the Patriots that pushed their lead out to as many as 11 points just more than 90 seconds later. |
| 2ND HALF |
| UNCP scored 10 of the first 12 points in the second half, and eventually knotted the evening up on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Tyrell Kirk at the 17:29 mark. The hosts scored seven-straight points to stretch their lead back out to eight points, 56-48, with 12:08 to play, but UNCP chipped away at the deficit and eventually regained the lead, 64-63, on a pull-up jumper from Kirk with 3:45 remaining. The Patriots got a 3-pointer from Tionne Rollins on the ensuing possession, but the hosts went without a point over the last 3-plus minutes of the evening as the visitors tacked up the game's last 12 points. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Senior Tyrell Kirk tallied a game-best 30 points on 12-of-18 field goal shooting, including a 4-for-6 clip from the perimeter. He also added seven rebounds and three assists as well.
+ Senior Spencer Levi finished his evening with 14 points, six rebounds and a quartet of blocks despite sitting out the lasy six minutes of the first half with foul trouble.
+ Senior Deon Berrien turned in seven points and a team-high nine rebounds, while also logging two assists and as many steals. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The Braves broke the 1966-67 squad's program record for longest win streak with their 13th-straight victory on Wednesday. The wins mark had been matched previously by the 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1990-91 squads, but had never been eclipsed.
+ UNCP also broke the 1972-73 squad's program record for longest road win streak with their seventh-straight victory in true road games. The Black & Gold began their current road win streak with an 82-63 rout of Chowan on November 30.
+ The Black & Gold has now out-rebounded 30-straight opponents dating back to a 109-89 home win over USC Aiken on Feb. 19, 2020. UNCP has won the rebounding battle by 10 or more boards in 20 of those outings. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will make a quick stop home on Saturday to take on Conference Carolinas rival Emmanuel (10-5, 9-2 CC) in the back half of a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Due to the continuing rise in COVID-19 cases in the state of North Carolina and across the country, attendance at Saturday's game will be limited to individuals on the player/coach pass lists. |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
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| BACK THE BRAVES |
| Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Men'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. |
