CANYON, Texas – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot 42.2 percent from the field, but No. 3 West Texas A&M shot 34 free throws and scored 16 points on turnovers to key a 77-70 victory over the Braves on Sunday evening inside the First United Bank Center for the final game of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic.
The setback for the Braves (0-2) marks the first time since the 2006-07 season that the program has lost its first two contests. The outcome for the Buffs (2-0) was highlighted by a 32-point performance from Ahamed Mohammed.
| THE BASICS |
SCORE: #3 West Texas A&M 77, UNC Pembroke 77
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 0-2, West Texas A&M 2-0
LOCATION: Canyon, Texas (First United Bank Center - D2CCA Tip-Off Classic) |
|
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST HALF |
| UNC Pembroke took an early 8-3 lead following a jumper from Bradlee Haskell just four minutes into the action. West Texas A&M would eventually put together an 11-0 run to take a 26-13 lead capped off with a pair of free throws form Ahamed Mohammed just under the 10-minute mark. UNCP responded with a 13-5 surge highlighted by back-to-back triples from Josh Berenbaum to chip away at its deficit, 31-26 with 5:39 left in the half. The Braves shot a game-best 43.7 percent from field in the opening period and were able to cut their deficit back to 33-30 following a jumper from Bradlee Haskell, but the Buffs held a 41-34 lead as the teams headed into the locker rooms. |
| 2ND HALF |
| West Texas A&M opened the frame on a 16-7 run to take what would be its largest lead of the evening, 59-41, with a fastbreak layup from Issac Ayoubi at the 13-minute mark. The Braves responded on a 13-2 run to whittle their deficit back to 61-54 with a triple from Josh Berenbaum with 6:36 remaining in regulation. Both teams traded possessions over the final minutes, but WT made good on six of their final 10 attempts from the free throw line to hold onto to the victory. |
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Dallas Gardner scored a career-best 19 points on a 7-for-11 shooting night. The sophomore nearly registered a double-double with nine rebounds in 33 minutes of work.
+ Josh Berenbaum added 16 points highlighted by a 4-for-8 clip from the perimeter. The senior pulled down eight rebounds, dished out a pair of assists and had one steal as well.
+ Elijah Cobb collected a team-best 10 rebounds, while Bradlee Haskell chipped in 12 points. |
|
| NOTABLES |
+ The Braves shot 42.2 percent from the field while the Buffs shot 37.1 percent from the floor.
+ The Black & Gold posted a 49-38 advantage on the boards.
+ West Texas scored 16 points via 16 UNC Pembroke turnovers. The hosts also added 15 points in transition.
+ UNCP picked up 36 points in the paint while WT had 24 points inside the paint.
+ West Texas made 34 trips to the free throw line and connected on 25 of those attempts, while UNC Pembroke was 10-for-17 from the free throw line. |
|
| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will be back in action on Friday when they host USC Aiken for their home opener. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. |
|
| 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. |
