PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team forced 25 King turnovers and tallied 28 points in the paint on the way to a 64-43 victory against the Tornado on Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. 
 
The Braves (15-7, 12-2) have now won the last eight home contests and improve to 3-1 all-time against King. The Tornado (4-16, 4-8 CC) have now lost six consecutive games and are just 2-11 when playing on the road. 

 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 64, King 43 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 15-7, 12-2 CC; King 4-16, 4-8 CC) LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

UNC Pembroke scored the first two buckets of the contests to take an early 4-0 lead after a jumper in the paint from Zaria Clark halfway through the opening period. Jhayda McKinney connected on a trey from the top of the key for what would be King's only basket of the quarter. UNC Pembroke closed out the quarter on a 6-1 scoring run and limited the Tornado to just 12.5-percent shooting to hold an 11-4 advantage.

2ND QUARTER

The Braves extended their lead out to 24-8 after a quick 8-0 scoring run, six of which were fastbreak points, with just under five minutes remaining in the half. The hosts connected on 47.1 percent of their attempts from the field, and held a 33-17 as the teams headed into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

King put together a 6-0 scoring surge to chip away at its deficit, 39-26, with a jumper from Jaden Potts, but UNCP responded with a layup from Lillian Flantos with 4:40 on the clock. Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field, but the Tornado were 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, including one with 12 seconds on the clock, but the hosts held a 48-33 lead heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

Both teams struggled offensively making just two baskets apiece, but King's 5-0 run whittled its deficit back to 54-43 with 5:44 remaining in regulation. UNCP closed out the game on a 10-0 scoring advantage and connected on 12-of-15 attempts from the free throw line to help fuel the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Kalaya Hall scored a game-high 18 points on a 5-for-12 shooting performance. Hall flirted with a double-double with seven rebounds. She also logged three assists.  + Zaria Clark scored in double-figures for the fifth consecutive game recording a dozen points. The sophomore finished with a 4-for-5 clip from the free throw line and grabbed five boards. + Lillian Flantos added eight points on 3-for-8 shooting in 20 minutes of work.  + Hannah Russell and Malea Garrison each grabbed seven rebounds, while Aniah McManus dish out four assists.

NOTABLES

+ UNC Pembroke's defense limited King to just 24.4-percent shooting from the field. Saturday marked the third-straight outing where the Braves have held their opponents to under 30-percent shooting. It was also King's second-worst shooting performance, just behind a 21.3 percent performance at Wingate early in December. + The Black & Gold have now out rebounded their opponents in the last three games. + Saturday's victory marked the eight-straight home victory this season for UNCP.  + The Braves forced 25 Tornado turnovers and picked up 25 points from those turnovers.  + UNCP also posted a 28-4 advantage with points in the paint.  + UNC Pembroke limited King to its lowest scoring performance this season.

UP NEXT

The Braves will welcome Southern Wesleyan (4-17, 4-9 CC) to Pembroke on Wednesday for Social Media Night. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

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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.