SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team limited Converse to just nine points in the first three quarters on the way to a 52-25 victory against the Valkyries on Saturday afternoon inside the Tom & Tracy Hannah Gym.
 
The Braves (17-7, 14-2 CC) have now won their last five contests and have limited their opponents to just 32.9-percent shooting from the field. The setback for the Valkyries (4-19, 4-12 CC) have now last their last three contests and fall to 0-4 all-time against UNCP. 


 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 52, Converse 25 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 17-7, 14-2 CC; Converse 4-19, 4-12) LOCATION: Spartanburg, S.C. (Tom & Tracy Hannah Gym)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

UNC Pembroke jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after a trey from Hannah Russell with 2:29 left in the opening period. Jordan Brown's free throw was the only point for Converse, who were 0-for-9 from the field, as the Braves held an 11-1 lead at the end of the quarter.

2ND QUARTER

The Braves scored the first seven points in the frame and extended their lead out to 18-1 after a jumper in the paint from Kelci Adams just three minutes into the stanza. Jordan Brown's jumper in the paint marked the first bucket for the Valkyries, who shot just 7.1 percent during the quarter, and trailed 20-3 as the teams headed into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

Zaria Clark's jumper to start the half as UNCP used a 7-0 scoring surge to pad its lead, 26-3, with 7:42 on the clock. Converse scored the next four points to chip away at its deficit, 28-7, but the Braves shot 75 percent from the field and closed the period out on a 16-2 run to hold a 44-9 lead heading into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

Alcenia Purnell's 3-pointer gave UNC Pembroke its largest lead of the afternoon, 47-9, with 9:46 left to play in regulation. The Valkyries used a 12-0 scoring run to cut their deficit back to 47-21 with 2-1/2 minutes left in regulation, but were unable to recover from the deficit.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Courtney Smith logged a team-best 12 points on a 4-for-9 shooting performance. The redshirt junior just missed a double-double grabbing seven defensive rebounds in 27 minutes of work.  +  Zaria Clark also tallied double-figure scoring with 10 points. Clark finished with six rebounds and dished out four assists.  + Lillian Flantos turned in a seven-point outing and finished with five boards.  + Kelci Adams came off of the bench to add seven points and pull down three rebounds, while Hannah Russell also came off of the bench for a team-high seven rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ UNC Pembroke limited Converse to just 17.8-percent shooting. The Valkyries scored in single digits in the first three quarters.  + Saturday's victory marked the fifth consecutive for the Black & Gold this season. The Braves improved to 4-0 all-time against Converse. + The Braves have now shot better than their last 11 opponents. + UNCP has also out rebounded their last four opponents. + The Black & Gold picked up 21 points from its bench and added 13 points off of turnovers.

UP NEXT

The Braves will be back in action at home on Wednesday when they welcome Barton (7-14, 7-7 CC) to Pembroke for Think Pink Night. Tipoff is set for 5 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.