PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team made a season-best 11 3-pointers and limited Southern Wesleyan to just six points in the second quarter on the way to a 64-52 victory over the Warriors on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
The Braves (16-7, 13-2) have now shot better than 35 percent in their last 10 outings and have won eight straight contests at home. The setback for the Warriors (4-18, 4-10 CC) snapped a two-game streak and fall to 2-9 when playing on the road. 

 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 64, Southern Wesleyan 52 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 16-7, 13-2 CC; Southern Wesleyan 4-18, 4-10 CC LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Zaria Clark's jumper in the paint gave UNC Pembroke an early 11-9 lead just four minutes into play. Southern Wesleyan made good on their next two possessions to give them a slight 14-11 lead, and held a 17-15 advantage after a three ball from Caroline Reese with 24 seconds remaining.

2ND QUARTER

The Braves put together a 17-2 run to push their lead out to 32-19 after a 3-pointer from Kelci Adams with 1:17 left in the half. The hosts shot 40 percent from the field and limited the Warriors to just 21.4-percent shooting, but Lexi Greffen's layup at the buzzer sent the teams to the locker rooms with UNCP leading 32-23.

3RD QUARTER

A Lillian Flantos jumper from the top of the key sparked the UNC Pembroke offense on a 10-0 run to extend the lead out to 45-30 with 1:43 on the clock. The Braves shot 50 percent from the field during the quarter and held a 45-36 lead heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

Southern Wesleyan put together a 10-0 run to cut its deficit back to 50-46 after a trey from Brittany Mack with 6:43 left in regulation. Alcenia Purnell canned a three from the corner to ignite nine straight points for UNCP and push the lead back out to 59-46. The hosts made good on five of their last six free throw attempts to put away the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Courtney Smith finished with a game-best 17 points on a 4-for-9 shooting performance. The redshirt junior just missed a double-double grabbing nine rebounds. Smith also dished out seven assists and logged four steals. + Kelci Adams came off of the bench and added 11 points highlighted by a 3-for-6 clip from the perimeter. The redshirt sophomore also pulled down four defensive rebounds in 26 minutes of work.  + Zaria Clark registered her fourth double-double this season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Clark has now scored in double-figures in the last six games and pulled down double-digit rebounds in two of those games as well. + Lillian Flantos grabbed nine defensive rebounds and added six points.

NOTABLES

+ UNC Pembroke improves to 6-0 all-time against Southern Wesleyan.  + The Braves have now won their last eight home contests which marks the best home record since the Black & Gold won 11-straight during the 2016-17 season. + UNCP held a lead for 79 percent (31:36) of the contest. Courtney Smith's 3-pointer at 7:51 in the second quarter gave the hosts the lead for good. + The Black & Gold have now out rebounded its last three opponents and have now limited its last four opponents to under 35-percent shooting.  + UNC Pembroke shot 45.8-percent from the perimeter and made a season-best 11 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

The Braves will hit the road to Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday to face Converse (4-18, 4-11 CC). Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Tom & Tracy Hannah Gym.

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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.