WILSON — The UNC Pembroke men’s basketball team shot 64.7 percent from the field in the second half and used a triple from Javonte Waverly with 21 seconds remaining to secure a 77-73 victory against Barton on Thursday evening inside the Wilson Gymnasium.

The Braves (18-5, 12-2 CC) have now won their last two contests and have won their last six games against Barton. The Bulldogs (10-14, 7-7 CC) have lost three out of their last four games and are 6-6 when playing on their home court this season.

UNC Pembroke took what would be its largest lead of the night, 7-2, with a layup from Bradlee Haskell at the 14:49 mark in the opening half. Barton used an 11-0 surge to take a 13-7 lead following a triple from Trevon Spencer with 13 minutes on the clock. Elijah Cobb stopped the UNCP scoring drought with a layup moments later, but the Bulldogs would take a 22-12 lead after a running layup with under nine minutes left in the period. The Braves struggled offensively shooting just 29% from the floor as the hosts held a 31-22 lead as the teams heading into the locker rooms.

Barton took its largest lead of the night, 51-33, after a Spencer layup with 14:31 left to play in regulation. The Braves tried to chip away at their deficit, 57-46, with a Nygell Verdier 3-pointer and a layup from Dallas Gardner, but an old-fashioned three-point play from Reece McDonald pushed the Bulldogs lead out to 60-46 halfway through the frame.

UNCP used a 12-2 run capped off with a layup from JaJuan Carr to trail just 62-58 with eight minutes left to play. UNC Pembroke put together a 10-0 to lead 70-66 with under two minutes, but Barton’s Trey Crews gave the Bulldogs a slight 73-72 lead with 44 seconds left in regulation. Javonte Waverly knocked down a triple from the corner with 21 seconds on the clock to give the Braves the lead for good.

Carr finished with a team-best 17 points on a 7-for-11 shooting performance. The redshirt junior pulled down six rebounds, had a pair of assists, and one block.

Cobb nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Cobb added three blocks and two assists.

Haskell, Verdier and Waverly each added 13 points. Haskell had six rebounds and two steals, Verdier grabbed seven rebounds, and Waverly had four rebounds.

UNC Pembroke held a 42-26 advantage with points in the paint during Thursday’s victory.

The Braves led a lead for just 6:52 of the contest.

The Black & Gold shot 47.7% from the field. The shooting performance was fueled by a 64.7% shooting clip during the second half.

UNCP made seven 3-pointers, five of which were in the second half.

The Braves will welcome Francis Marion to town for the Battle of I-95 on Saturday as part of Alumni Day. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Tickets are available at UNCPBraves.com/Tickets.