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KJ Walker 030423
77
Winner Belmont Abbey BAC 19-11,13-7 Conference Carolinas
67
UNC Pembroke UNCP 26-3,18-2 Conference Carolinas
Winner
Belmont Abbey BAC
19-11,13-7 Conference Carolinas
77
Final
67
UNC Pembroke UNCP
26-3,18-2 Conference Carolinas
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Belmont Abbey BAC 40 37 77
UNC Pembroke UNCP 42 25 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Todd Anderson, Associate AD/Strategic Initiatives

Belmont Abbey Upsets No. 5 Men’s Basketball In Semifinals

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Fourth-seeded Belmont Abbey limited the 5th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball to just a 23.1 percent shooting effort in the second half, and staved off a late rally by tacking up the game's final seven points on the way to a 77-67 victory over the Braves in the semifinal round of the 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Basketball Championships on Saturday.
 
It was the second loss in the last three outings for the Braves (26-3) who closed out the regular season with a 36-point victory over the Crusaders last week in Pembroke. Belmont Abbey (19-11) has now strung together consecutive victories for the first time in a month.
 
THE BASICS
SCORE: Belmont Abbey 77, UNC Pembroke 67
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 26-3; Belmont Abbey 19-11
LOCATION: Spartanburg, S.C. (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium)
HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
Both sides canned at least half of their field goal attempts amid a first half that featured four lead changes and a trio of tie scores. The Crusaders forged a five-point lead, 21-16, on K.J. Garrett's 3-pointer at the 11:42 mark, but the Braves answered with a 16-3 run over the next six minutes to swing the momentum in their favor. Abbey knotted the score back up on Mason Taylor's 3-ball with just less than two minutes left before the break, but the Black & Gold would eventually lug a 42-40 advantage into the locker rooms.
2ND HALF
The Crusaders led 70-61 following a 3-point bucket from Mason Taylor with 3:02 left, but the Braves rallied and made it a one-possession game, 70-67, following a pair of free throws from K.J. Walker with just more than a minute remaining. Abbey went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the last minute, however, and the Braves missed both of their field goal attempts over that span.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
+ Senior K.J. Walker came off of the bench to register a team-best 14 points on 5-of-10 field goal shooting. He also added two rebounds and a trio of assists.
+ Sophomore Bradlee Haskell canned a trio of 3-pointers on the way to 11 points. He finished the night with three rebounds as well.
+ Sophomore JaJuan Carr chipped in 10 points on a 3-for-6 effort from the field, as well as a 4-for-5 tally from the free throw line.
NOTABLES
+ The Braves finished Saturday's outing with a 39-30 advantage in the rebounding column. It is the 15th-straight game that the Black & Gold has won the battle of the boards, and the 26th time this season that UNCP has out-rebounded its opponent.
+ The Braves committed just eight turnovers against the Crusaders. It is the fourth time this season that UNCP has finished with nine or fewer turnovers.
UP NEXT
UNCP will now wait just more than 24 hours to learn of its postseason fate via the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. That program is scheduled for an 11 p.m. air time on Sunday at NCAA.com.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow UNCP Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Men's Basketball on Facebook.
BACK THE BRAVES
Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Men'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.
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