WINGATE – Coker shot 37.5-percent from beyond the arch and picked up 28 points from its bench on the way to a 63-51 victory over the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team on Friday inside Cuddy Arena for the Conference Challenge.
 
The setback for the Braves (0-1) marked the first loss to Coker in the last four meetings. The Cobras (1-0) have now won the last two neutral site meetings against UNCP, the last being on Dec. 30, 2012.









 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Coker 63, UNC Pembroke 51 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 0-1, Coker 0-1 LOCATION: Wingate, N.C. (Cuddy Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

UNC Pembroke used an 6-0 run to take an 8-3 lead four minutes into the opening quarter. Both teams struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, but Coker tied the score at 11 apiece with a fastbreak layup from Mya Wasswa for the final score of the period.

2ND QUARTER

UNCP would take what would be its largest lead of the evening 20-13, with a Courtney Smith 3-pointer with 4:51 remaining in the half. The Cobras put together a 12-0 run to take a 25-20 lead at the 2:36 mark, but the Braves chipped away at their deficit closing the half out on a 7-2 run to send the teams to the locker rooms with Coker holding a slight 30-27 advantage.

3RD QUARTER

The Black & Gold used a layup from Aminata Johnson to trim their deficit back to 35-32 with 3:42 left on the clock. A quick 5-0 scoring surge from Coker pushed their lead out to 40-33 at the two-minute mark, and a trey from Abigail Keesling at the buzzer put the Cobras ahead 45-37 heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

A trio of free throws from Kelci Adams whittled the UNCP deficit to 49-44 with five minutes left in regulation. A 14-2 run pushed Coker's lead back out to double digits as they held a 63-46 lead with just over a minute left to play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Hannah Russell scored a team-high 12 points highlighted by a 6-for-8 clip from the charity stripe. Russell also pulled down four rebounds. + Courtney Smith also logged double-figure scoring with 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting. Smith also had seven boards and a pair of steals. + Newcomer Malea Garrison established a career-high with a team-best 10 rebounds. Garrison also tallied five points on 5-for-6 from the free throw line.

NOTABLES

+ UNC Pembroke forced 15 Coker turnovers and converted those into 14 points.  + The Braves dominated the inside game picking up 14 points in the paint while the Cobras were limited to just six points.  + Coker, however, connected on 12-of-32 of their attempts from beyond the perimeter, while UNCP was 4-for-16 from the 3-point line.

UP NEXT

The Braves will close out the Conference Challenge on Saturday when they take on Wingate (1-0). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Cuddy Arena.

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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.