HICKORY – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team shot a game-high 53.8 percent in the opening period of the contest, but 9
th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne knocked down 47.1 percent of their attempts from the perimeter to help them to a 71-48 victory over the Braves on Monday afternoons inside Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
The setback for the Braves (3-6) snapped a three-game winning streak, and marked the first loss in Hickory since 2019. The Bears have now won their first 10 contests of the season, and have now won five of the last six meetings with the Black & Gold.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: #9 Lenoir-Rhyne 71, UNC Pembroke 48
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 3-6; #9 Lenoir-Rhyne 10-0
LOCATION: Hickory, N.C. (Shuford Memorial Gymnasium) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke took what would be its largest lead of the evening, 13-9, off of a Lillian Flantos layup with just under five minutes remaining in the opening period. Lenoir-Rhyne went on a 12-0 run capped off with a trey with 27 seconds left in the frame, but Kelci Adams knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Braves trailed 21-15 heading into the second quarter. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Braves trimmed their deficit back to 26-20 after five consecutive points from Courtney Smith with 6:51 remaining in the first half. The Bears connected on 40 percent of their attempts from the field and used a three ball from Azariah Fields to push their lead out to 35-22 with 2-1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Kelci Adams canned a 3-points just 20 seconds after, but the hosts held a 37-25 lead as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| UNCP used a quick 5-2 scoring run to start the half after a big three ball from and cut the deficit back to 40-30 just two minutes into the third quarter. The Braves continued to chip away at its deficit, but the Bears made 50 percent of their attempts from the field lead 55-36 heading into the final stanza. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| UNC Pembroke started the period on an 8-5 run after a jumper in the paint from Zaria Clark with six minutes left to play in regulation. Lenoir-Rhyne made all six attempts from the charity stripe and took its largest lead of the evening, 71-46, after a pair of free throws to help fuel the outcome. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Courtney Smith logged a team-best 13 points after a 4-for-11 performance from the field. Smith also pulled down a team-high five rebounds, while recording three assists and a pair of steals.
+ Kelci Adams finished the contest with points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field. Adams also registered a trio of steals and rebounds in 25 minutes of work.
+ Zaria Clark added eight points along with three boards, two assists and a steal. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ Lenoir-Rhyne forced 25 UNC Pembroke turnovers and converted those into 30 points. However, LR made 23 turnovers, but UNCP only picked up 10 points off of those turnovers.
+ The Bears pulled down 37 rebounds, 10 of which were on the offensive glass. The Braves finished with 24 rebounds.
+ The Black & Gold shot a game-best 53.8 percent from the field in the opening period. |
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| UP NEXT |
The Braves will continue their three-game road trip on Thursday when they trek to Bristol, Tenn., to take on King (2-8, 2-1 CC). Tipoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. at the Student Center Complex.
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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. |
