AIKEN, S.C. — The University of North Carolina at Pembroke men’s basketball team scored 34 points off of 20 turnovers and used a key run in the waning minutes to hand USC Aiken its first Peach Belt Conference loss of the season with a 79-74 triumph over the Pacers on Wednesday evening.
The Braves (13-4, 7-2 PBC), who have now captured seven of their last eight outings since mid-December, improved to 8-2 away from Pembroke this season with the result, while also snapping a two-game series losing streak. The setback snapped a five-game winning skein for the Pacers (12-7, 8-1) who saw their eight-game home win streak come to an end as well.
USC Aiken held the Braves to just 35.9 percent shooting and utilized early foul trouble to build its lead out to as many as nine points, 33-24, following Xzavier Barmore’s running layup with 4:41 left before intermission. Jordan Ratliffe’s 3-pointer on the other end of the court, however, sparked the visitors on a half-ending 10-2 run that pulled UNCP to within a point, 35-34, heading into the locker rooms. That run was fueled by a 0-for-6 shooting performance by the hosts who also committed a trio of turnovers in the 4 1/2-minute span.
The Braves shot north of 53 percent in the latter stanza, and took its first lead since the early minutes of the second half on Tyrell Kirk’s 3-pointer at the 15:21 mark. USC Aiken put together an 11-0 run and went out in front by seven points, 58-51, after a jumper from Shaquan Jules with 11-1/2 minutes left, but the Braves countered with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to swing the score in their favor.
The Pacers took a one-point lead, 65-64, on another layup from Jules with 5:39 left to play, but a pair of free throws from Spencer Levi on the other end of the court marked the first of nine-straight points by the Braves that turned the momentum for good.
Levi notched his first double-double in a Braves uniform with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in just 28 minutes on the floor. David Strother tallied a team-best 15 points as well, while also matching a career-high with five steals.
Kirk registered 10 of his 13 points in the opening half, and complemented his offensive numbers with six rebounds and a pair of steals. Ratliffe added a dozen points, while also turning in five rebounds as well.
The Braves finished the night with a season-high 16 steals – the most steals for the club since tallying 17 in a win at Flagler in March of last season.
Senior Akia Pruitt finished his night with nine rebounds to up his career total to 909. He needs just five more boards this season to move atop the PBC’s all-time rebounders list.
The Braves will close out their short two-game road trip on Saturday when they make the long trip to Americus, Ga., to battle Georgia Southwestern (8-7, 3-6 PBC) in the Storm Dome. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. The Hurricanes dropped an 87-61 decision at Young Harris on Wednesday evening.
Horne’s buzzer-beater lifts UNCP women
The UNC Pembroke women’s basketball team shot better than 42 percent from beyond the arc and used a clutch 3-pointer from Melanie Horne with just more than a second remaining to secure a 72-69 upset victory over USC Aiken on Wednesday evening inside the Convocation Center.
The win helped Braves (8-9, 3-6 PBC) snap a four-game road losing streak, while also giving them a fifth win in the last six meetings with USC Aiken. The setback snapped a four-game home winning streak for the Pacers (10-7, 5-4) who had not lost in the Convocation Center since December 18.
UNC Pembroke took a 12-9 lead off of a 3-pointer from Tiara Williams at the 4:24 minute mark, but USC Aiken connected on their next three field goal attempts to storm ahead, 16-12, two minutes later. UNCP sank half of their shots in the quarter, and Jillian Ebron’s bucket with three seconds left pulled the Braves to within one point, 21-20, heading to the second period.
The Braves used a 7-2 scoring surge to retake the lead, 31-26, at the 5:07 mark of the second quarter. The hosts clawed their way back and tied the score at 33 apiece off of a trey from Alex Canady with three minutes left before the break, but five of the last seven points belonged to UNCP who took a 38-35 lead into the locker rooms.
The hosts shot better than 47 percent from the field in the third period and took their largest lead of the game, 52-47, following a jumper from Rikoya Anderson with a minute left in the period. UNCP made it a one-possession game on Horne’s trey moments later, but Melyk Taouil scored with seven seconds left to give the hosts a 54-50 edge heading to the final stanza.
Taouil scored five consecutive points to give the hosts a 68-63 lead with one minute left in regulation. Alcenia Purnell put together an old-fashioned 3-point play on the other end of the court to pull the Braves within two points, and then knocked down a 3-pointer moments later off of a steal from Aliyah Farmer to give UNCP the lead. Alexis Mack hit the back end of a 1-and-1 opportunity to knot the score up at 69 points apiece, but Horne drained a 3-pointer with time winding down to provide the final points of the evening.
Purnell led all scorers and logged a career-high 27 points in 29 minutes of play, and also added five rebounds, three steals and two assists and Horne turned in 14 points thanks mainly in part to a 4-for-8 effort from 3-point territory. She also had two blocks.
UNC Pembroke committed a season-low eight turnovers, including just three in the first half. The Braves logged just their sixth road win in 29 trips to Aiken, but have now won two of the last three series matchups in the Convocation Center.
The Braves will close out their two-game road trip on Saturday when they travel to Americus, Ga., to take on Georgia Southwestern (5-10, 1-8 PBC). Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 inside the Storm Dome.
