WINGATE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team took control of the inside game scoring 26 points in the paint, but Wingate capitalized with 20 points off of turnovers for a 55-54 victory over the Braves on Saturday evening inside Cuddy Arena for the Conference Challenge. 
 
The Braves (0-2) shot 40-percent in the third quarter and outscored Wingate in the first and fourth quarter. The Bulldogs (2-0) have now won two straight on their home court and improve to 17-5 when playing at home against the Black & Gold. 
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Wingate 55, UNC Pembroke 54 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 0-2; Wingate 2-0 LOCATION: Wingate, N.C. (Cuddy Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Lauren Sullivan drained a three from the top of the key at the 6:00 mark to give Wingate an early 8-5 lead. Courtney Smith paced UNC Pembroke with a 5-point scoring surge to knot the score at 10 apiece, and Kalaya Hall's fastbreak layup ended the period with UNCP holding a slight 12-11 advantage.

2ND QUARTER

The Braves took an 18-16 lead off of a Zaria Clark jumper with 6:42 left to play in the half. A 6-0 scoring advantage pushed Wingate's lead out to 29-27 with 1:44 left on the clock. The Braves connected on 10-of-12 of their attempts from the free throw line during the quarter and used a Kalaya Hall layup to send the teams into the locker rooms tied at 29.

3RD QUARTER

The Bulldogs started the half on a 9-2 run to take what would be their largest lead of the evening, 38-31, after a layup from Jaia Wilson three minutes into the period. UNCP responded with an 8-0 run of their own for a 39-38 lead, but the hosts finished the frame on a 7-2 run to hold a 45-41 lead heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

Aminata Johnson's jumper in the paint tied the score at 50 apiece with just under 4-1/2 minutes left in regulation. Kalaya Hall knocked down two free throws with 52 ticks remaining as the Braves trailed by one. UNCP had a final look with an Alcenia Purnell 3-pointer, but the shot was blocked to stop a comeback.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Redshirt junior Courtney Smith finished with 16 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Smith was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line, and also pulled down seven defensive rebounds. + Newcomer Kalaya Hall logged double-digit scoring with 10 points highlighted by a 4-for-4 clip from the charity stripe.  + Zaria Clark grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ UNC Pembroke picked up 18 points from its bench fueled by Kalaya Hall's 10-point outing as well as eight points from Aminata Johnson. + UNCP limited Wingate to 29.2-percent shooting, while the Braves shot 33.3-percent from the field.  + The Black & Gold connected on 80-percent (16-for-20) of their attempts from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT

The Braves will make their home debut on Wednesday when they welcome Fayetteville State (0-2) to Pembroke. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

STAY CONNECTED

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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.