SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot 50 percent from the floor and was got key defensive stops in an 82-81 overtime victory against Emmanuel in the Conference Carolinas Tournament finals on Sunday at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
 
The Braves (23-6) picked up their first Conference Carolinas tournament title on Sunday, and is the first tournament title since the Black & Gold won the Peach Belt Conference title during the 2016-17. 





 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 82, Emmanuel 81 (OT) RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 23-6, Emmanuel 25-5 LOCATION: Spartanburg, S.C. (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

UNC Pembroke shot 44.4 percent from the field and took an early 18-8 lead after a triple from Dallas Gardner with 12-1/2 minutes remaining in the opening half. Emmanuel went on a 16-2 run to take a 28-23 lead just under the six-minute mark, but an Elijah Cobb 3-pointer from the top of the key cut the UNCP deficit back to 32-30 with four minutes on the clock. Jamarvious Jones put the Braves back out in from with a three from the corner with two minutes left to play in the frame, as the teams headed to the locker room with the score locked at 35 apiece.

2ND HALF

KJ Jones gave Emmanuel a 49-44 advantage with a jumper in the paint just under six minutes into the second half. UNC Pembroke worked its deficit back to 55-53 after a 5-0 run, but the Lions responded with a triple to push their lead back out to 58-53 with 8:30 remaining in regulation. The Braves put together a 10-2 run to take a slight 71-69 advantage, but Emmanuel would take a 73-71 lead after scoring four straight points. Elijah Cobb locked the score at 73 with 40 seconds on the clock, as both teams missed their final shot attempts to send the game into overtime.

OVERTIME

Emmanuel made good on a pair of buckets on to give the Lions a 79-76 lead with 2:50 on the clock. Bradlee Haskell knocked down a pair of free throws and Nygell Verdier's running layup gave UNCP the lead for good. Emmanuel missed a jumper with four seconds left and Dallas Gardner secured the defensive rebound for the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Elijah Cobb finished with a team-best 22 points on a 9-for-14 shooting performance. Cobb pulled down six rebounds and had three assists and one block. + Nygell Verdier added 18 points and was 7-for-10 from the field. The junior grabbed three boards and had one assist in 31 minutes of action. + Dallas Gardner came off of the bench to chip in 13 points while Bradlee Haskell finished with 12. Josh Berenbaum finished with a team-best nine rebounds.

NOTABLES

+ Elijah Cobb was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Bradlee Haskell and Nygell Verdier each were on the all-tournament team.  + Emmanuel finished 22-for-22 from the free throw line, while UNC Pembroke was 13-for-15 from the charity stripe.  + The Braves posted a 36-27 advantage in rebounds and scored 26 points from its bench.  + The Lions held the lead for 48.4 percent of the contest.

UP NEXT

The Braves with the victory earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship. The field will be announced on Sunday night on NCAA.com at 11 p.m.

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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.