PEMBROKE — A double-digit win streak has moved the UNC Pembroke men’s basketball team atop the Conference Carolinas standings, but the Braves also continued their ascent in the national polls on Tuesday when the program climbed five spots to No. 11 in the latest edition of the D2SIDA Top 25.
The announcement came just more than 24 hours after the Braves (14-1, 11-1 CC) claimed the top spot in the D2SIDA Southeast Region poll for the first time in their 30-year NCAA Division II history. The Black & Gold picked up half of the available first-place votes in Monday’s region listing on the way to fighting off perennial region powerhouses Lincoln Memorial and Queens for the No. 1 position.
UNCP was the lone Conference Carolinas squad to appear in Tuesday’s national poll, but was joined by region foes Lincoln Memorial (No. 12) and Queens (16) in the release as well. Undefeated Lubbock Christian continued its perch atop the national ranking, while Northwest Missouri State, Nova Southeastern, Indiana (Pa.) and CSU San Marcos rounded out the top 5.
Tuesday’s ranking is the highest for the Braves in the 30-year NCAA Division II era of the program. The 2014-15 squad climbed as high as No. 12 in the poll on Jan. 20, 2015 (Week 9).
The Black & Gold has averaged more than 90 points per game and has outscored opponents by nearly 16 points an outing over its current 10-game win streak. The squad currently leads the nation in rebounding margin (+12.8), offensive rebounds per game (17.1) and total rebounds per game (45.9), but also ranks among the nation’s top 10 teams in blocked shots per game (5.4), scoring offense (88.7 points/game), total blocks (75), total rebounds (642) and win-loss percentage (92.9).
The 2021-22 squad is one of just six teams in the 83-year history of the program to string together 10 or more victories, and matched the longest win streak in 31 years with Monday’s triumph at Mount Olive. Four teams – the 1966-67, 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1990-91 squads – share the school record with 12 consecutive victories. The 2016-17 version of the Black & Gold was the last team to tally a double-digit win streak.
The Braves will continue their four-game road trip on Friday when they head to Spartanburg, S.C., to tangle with Converse (5-9, 4-6 CC) in the back end of a 5 p.m. doubleheader inside Hannah Gym. UNCP will get a short rest after that before making the short trip to Tigerville, S.C., to battle North Greenville (4-7, 2-6) on Saturday.
Shaffer claims conference Wrestler of the Week honor
A second-period pin that capped the UNC Pembroke wrestling team’s 31-13 victory over visiting Queens on Tuesday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court has earned redshirt sophomore Zach Shaffer South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week laurels, the league office announced.
Shaffer, a native of Red Lion, Pa., registered a takedown, reversal and a 4-point near fall in his heavyweight matchup with Joshua Voelkel on Tuesday before wrapping up the evening, as well as the 14th-straight home victory for the Black & Gold, via a pin at 4:23. It was the fourth-straight win for Shaffer, who also improved to 5-0 in dual meets this season well.
A Ferrum transfer, Shaffer (20-4) has already logged a team-best 20 victories on the mat in 2021-22, and has already won two tournaments as the starter at heavyweight for the Black & Gold. He opened the current campaign with 11-straight victories, including unblemished runs through the 285-pound tournament at both the 40th Annual Pembroke Classic and the Georgia Open in November. He has also logged seven bonus-point victories this season as well.
The Braves (3-6, 1-1 SACC) will be back in action again on Thursday when they head to Bristol, Tenn., to face a pair of SACC foes in a 5 p.m. tri-meet inside King University’s Student Center Complex. The Black & Gold will square off with both Limestone (7-1, 2-0) and the host Tornado (3-3, 2-0) in northeast Tennessee.
UNCP swimming completes perfect home schedule
Senior Gillian Manning and junior Ketlyn Rodriguez Matos both shattered a pair of school records, and the UNC Pembroke swimming team won 11 of 14 events on the way to registering a 150-112 victory over visiting Roanoke on Saturday inside the UNCP Aquatics Center.
Manning busted a 9-month-old school record in the 200-yard Backstroke, while Rodriguez Matos eclipsed her own 2-month-old program mark on the way to winning the 200-yard Breaststroke. Both Manning (200 Free, 200 Fly, 200 Back) and Rodriguez Matos (100 Breast, 200 Breast, 200 IM) captured a trio of event titles, while Mariel Mencia Martinez (50 Free, 100 Fly) won two events and Nathalia Silva topped the field in the 500-yard Freestyle.
The Braves (5-0) also won both relay events – the 200-yard Medley Relay and the 400-yard Freestyle Relay.
Silva (100 Free, 1000 Free) and Sarah Morden (100 Breast, 200 Breast) combined to give the hosts a quartet of runner-up finishes as well on Saturday.
UNCP will close out the regular season portion of its 2021-22 schedule on January 29 when it makes the short trip up U.S. 74 to tangle with ninth-ranked Wingate (1-1) inside the Wingate University Natatorium. Competition is scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m.
