PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team shot better than 40 percent in the final three quarters and picked up 32 points in the paint to secure a 68-41 victory over North Greenville on Thursday for senior night at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The victory for the Braves (19-9, 17-7 CC) helped them secure the fifth seed in the Conference Carolinas Tournament set to begin on Sunday. UNCP will await the outcome of the Emmanuel and Lees-McRae matchup and play the winner at home on Monday at 5 p.m. The Crusaders (8-19, 8-15 CC) are the 10
th seed in the tournament and will play at Francis Marion on Sunday.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 68, North Greenville 41
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 19-9, 17-7 CC, North Greenville 8-19, 8-15 CC
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| North Greenville took an 11-8 lead with a running layup from Haylee Luttrell at the four-minute mark. UNC Pembroke trimmed the deficit back to 13-11 when the hosts connected on three of their four final free throw attempts to end the period. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Crusaders took what would be their largest lead of the night, 23-16, when a trey from Zahria Jenkins with just under five minutes remaining in the half. Alcenia Purnell's three from the top of the key sparked a 10-0 run to close the half for UNCP, who held a 37-25 lead as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| NGU trimmed their deficit back to 35-31, with a 3-pointer from Jayda Glass just three minutes into the half. UNCP put together an 11-0 run to push its lead out to 48-33 with 2:52 left in the quarter. The Braves connected on 60 percent of their shots from the field and held a comfortable 50-35 lead heading into the final stanza. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| North Greenville chipped away at their deficit, 57-41, with a jumper in the paint from Tolisha Walker with 4-1/2 minutes remaining in regulation. UNCP closed the game out on an 11-0 run and took its largest lead of the evening, 68-41, with a pair of free throws from Kelci Adams to end the game. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Zaria Clark registered a career-high night with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The double-double performance marked the fourth for the freshman this season.
+ Senior Gabby Smith added 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The double-figure scoring marked the 16th this season for the senior.
+ Courtney Smith tallied 11 points in 31 minutes of work. Smith has now scored in double figures in the last 11 games. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ The victory for the Black & Gold marks the fifth straight win on their home court this season.
+ UNCP shot 43.6 percent from the field on 22-for-55 shooting. The Braves have now shot 40-percent or better from the floor in 14 different games this season.
+ The Braves found success from the inside with 32 points inside the paint. UNC Pembroke also collected 35 points from its bench, as well as 21 points off of 20 North Greenville turnovers.
+ North Greenville was limited to just 31.4 percent shooting from the field, which is the 12th opponent this season that UNCP has held to under 32 percent shooting. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will be back in action on Monday when they play the winner of the Emmanuel and Lees-McRae matchup set for Sunday at 7 p.m. UNCP will tipoff on Monday at 5 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. |
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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. |
