| THE BASICS |
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 72, Francis Marion 68 (OT)
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 21-9; Francis Marion 21-6
LOCATION: Spartanburg, S.C. (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| Francis Marion got the better of the play in the opening quarter, and shot 8-for-16 from the field, as well as registered a perfect 6-for-6 tally at the free throw line, to inevitably drag a 23-14 advantage into the second period. The Braves were within a lone bucket, 11-9, following a 3-ball from Lillian Flantos at the 4:47 mark, but the Patriots threw up a dozen of the game's next 17 points to distance themselves. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| Both teams got bit by the hot-shooting bug in the second period, but the Patriots inevitably extended their lead out to double-digits, 39-28, heading into the intermission. Aniah McManus canned a 3-pointer with just more than five minutes left to pull the Black & Gold within five points, 28-23, but FMU shot better than 71 percent (5-for-7) down the stretch to pad their lead. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| UNCP threw a defensive blanket over the Patriots in the third period, limiting Francis Marion to just two field goals and six points en route to closing the points gap. Two free throws by Lillian Flantos at the 6:43 mark sparked the Black & Gold on a 12-0 run that would eventually give it a 44-42 lead just more than six minutes later, but Scarlett Gilmore hit a late 3-pointer to give FMU a 45-44 lead heading to the fourth quarter. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| Neither team was able to find a considerable edge in the fourth quarter, but the Braves answered the bell when it counted the most. The final stanza saw four tie scores and as many lead changes, but Kalaya Hall's driving layup with five seconds is the bucket that sent the game into extra time. |
| OVERTIME |
| Francis Marion used an old-fashioned 3-point play from Aniyah Oliver to take a 60-57 lead just 15 seconds into the overtime period, but the Braves tacked up seven-straight points over the next three minutes to take the lead for good. The Patriots pulled to within a lone point, 69-68, with 15 ticks remaining, but UNCP got three free throws from Zaria Clark in the closing seconds to ice the outcome. |
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Junior Kalaya Hall turned in a team-best 17 points, and registered four of her five made field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime. She was 6-for-8 from the free throw line across the last two periods as well, and closed out her Saturday with three assists and as many rebounds.
+ Redshirt junior Aniah McManus scored 12 of her career-high 16 points in the first half, and complemented her semifinals performance with six rebounds and a pair of assists.
+ Sophomore Zaria Clark tallied 12 of her 16 points after halftime, and keyed her offensive output with a 7-for-8 performance at the charity stripe. Clark also turned in six rebounds and three assists.
+ Redshirt junior Lillian Flantos chipped in a dozen points and five boards in 40 minutes of action. She was 4-for-9 from the field, including a perfect 2-for-2 mark from the perimeter. |
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| NOTABLES |
+ UNCP has now won consecutive conference tournament games for the first time in program history. Sunday will mark the first conference tournament championship game appearance for the Braves in the 49-year history of the program as well.
+ The Braves have now split the last six meetings with Francis Marion, but Saturday's win helped the Black & Gold improve to 1-2 against the Patriots on a neutral court. It was the first neutral court matchup in the series since FMU posted a 65-58 win over the Braves in the 2006 Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
+ The Black & Gold forced 23 turnovers in Saturday's win. It is the 12th time this season that the Braves have forced 20 or more turnovers in a contest. |
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| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will head to Sunday's Conference Carolinas Tournament championship game where they will take on top-seeded Belmont Abbey (23-4) for the league's automatic berth into the NCAA postseason. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Wofford's Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. |
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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. |
