Braves men, women each improve to 6-1 in conference

Jan. 9—CENTRAL, S.C. — The 13th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 50 percent from the field for the sixth time this season and used a dominant effort on the boards to fuel an 82-58 victory at Southern Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon inside Tysinger Gymnasium.

The result marked the seventh-straight victory for the Braves (14-1, 6-1 CC) who finished the afternoon with a +28 margin in the rebounding column, including their most offensive rebounds (17) in nearly two months. It was the fifth-straight loss for the Warriors (2-13, 2-5) who fell to 1-7 at home this season with the result as well.

The Braves led by as many as 18 points, 31-13, in the opening half before a late 12-3 run by the Warriors cut their deficit back to single digits heading into the break. UNCP shot better than 40 percent from the field in the first period, but went just 1-for-6 over the last 4-1/2 minutes, while also turning the ball over three times. Regardless, the visitors lugged a 34-25 advantage into the locker rooms.

Southern Wesleyan cut into a double-digit deficit with Bryson Felder's 3-pointer just 3-1/2 minutes into the second stanza, but the Braves responded with a 10-2 run over the next two minutes to pad their lead out to double digits for good. The Black & Gold led by as many as 25 points, 81-56, following Lureon Walker's running layup with 1:49 left to play.

Sophomore Javonte Waverly scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the final 4-1/2 minutes of regulation. He barely missed a double-double with nine rebounds as well.

Sophomores JaJuan Carr and Bradlee Haskell both chipped in 13 points apiece. Carr added five assists to his scoring number, while Haskell tallied a quintet of rebounds.

Redshirt sophomore Elijah Cobb tallied 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the field, while also turning in five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Sophomore Nygell Verdier added 10 points, while also pulling down seven boards and registering two steals. Verdier also went 4-for-5 from the free throw line.

UNCP's plus-28 margin in the rebounding column is its most dominant performance on the boards since posting a 53-24 rebounding disparity in a home victory over Erskine on Nov. 20, 2021. It is the eighth times in the last 43 games that the Black & Gold has outdone their opponent by 20 or more rebounds.

The Braves registered 15 or more offensive rebounds for the third time this season, but the first since tallying 21 offensive boards in an overtime win at Columbus State in mid-November.

The Black & Gold shot 50.8 percent (30-for-59) from the field on Saturday. It is the sixth time this season that the Braves have converted at least half of their field goal attempts, and the fourth time in the last six games that the squad has accomplished that feat.

The Braves will close out a short two-game road trip on Wednesday when they head to Murfreesboro to take on Chowan (7-5, 5-2 CC) in the back half of a 5 p.m. doubleheader at Bob Burke Court.

Third quarter drives Lady Braves past SWU

The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team shot better than 44 percent from the field and registered 22 points in the third quarter to help fuel a 74-66 victory against Southern Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon inside Tysinger Gymnasium.

The victory for the Braves (9-6, 6-1 CC) marked the sixth consecutive win this season and was the fifth straight victory against Southern Wesleyan. The Warriors (2-13, 2-5 CC) have now lost their last five contests and fall to 1-6 when playing on their home court.

Southern Wesleyan shot 58.3 percent from the field in the first quarter and took what would be its largest lead of the afternoon, 16-6, after a Lexi Greffen 3-pointer with 3:53 on the clock. UNC Pembroke went on a 12-2 scoring run to close out the period and knotted the score at 18 apiece after Alcenia Purnell sank a trey with seven seconds remaining.

UNC Pembroke took its first lead of the afternoon, 22-20 after a pair of free throws from Kalaya Hall with 8:41 left to play in the first half. The Warriors used a 12-0 run to take a 35-32 advantage with 1:17 on the clock, but Alcenia Purnell canned a pair of free throws to send the teams to the locker rooms with the hosts holding a slight 35-34 lead.

The Braves picked up six quick points in the third quarter to push the lead out to 46-39 after a running layup from Zaria Clark with just under the five-minute mark. Southern Wesleyan was limited to just 1-for-8 shooting from the perimeter during the quarter, as UNCP outscored SWU 22-9 to hold a 56-44 lead after a three from the top of the key from Malea Garrison.

The Braves took their largest lead of the afternoon, 64-47, off of Alcenia Purnell's jumper with 7:49 left to play in regulation. The Warriors connected on 4-of-11 of their attempts from the perimeter, including one from Shelby Glance with 29 seconds on the clock to cut the deficit back to 71-64. However, UNCP made good on three of its final four attempts from the charity stripe to stop any comeback.

Alcenia Purnell came off the bench and registered a season-best 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The redshirt junior was 4-for-7 from the 3-point line, while also pulling down five rebounds in 28 minutes of action.

Courtney Smith tallied 15 points on a 6-for-10 shooting performance. Smith had two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Newcomer Kalaya Hall scored in double-figures for the sixth time this season with 12 points. Hall finished with a career-best eight rebounds.

Hannah Russell also logged double-digit scoring with 10 points. The redshirt sophomore grabbed four boards and recorded a pair of assists.

UNC Pembroke recorded a season-best 44.2 percent shooting from the field during Saturday's victory.

The Black & Gold dominated the inside picking up 38 points inside the paint. Southern Wesleyan was limited to just 16 points inside the paint.

Southern Wesleyan recorded 36 points from the perimeter after matching a season-high 12 3-pointers on Saturday.

The Braves will close out their shot two-game road trip on Wednesday when they trek to Murfreesboro to take on Chowan (9-4, 5-2 CC). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Bob Burke Court.

UNCP swimming splits action at Emory & Henry Tri-Meet

The UNC Pembroke swimming team climbed to the top of the podium in four events, including a pair of individual event titles from junior Mariel Mencia Martinez, to split a pair of duals at the Emory & Henry Tri-Meet on Saturday afternoon in southwest Virginia.

The Braves (6-3) nearly doubled up Conference Carolinas foe Emory & Henry (3-8) on the way to registering their sixth victory of the season, but fell to Catawba (8-1) inside the Emory & Henry Aquatics Center as well. The event marked the end of a more-than one-month hiatus from competition for the Black & Gold.

Mencia Martinez won both the 50- and 100-meter Freestyle events by more than a second, while also finishing second in the 100-meter Butterfly by just 0.3 seconds. Senior Nathalia Silva touched first in the 400-meter Freestyle, while newcomer Britta Schwengle out-paced the rest of the field in the 200-meter Freestyle by more than five seconds.

The Braves will return home again on January 21 when they suit up to battle both Roanoke and Lenoir-Rhyne inside the UNCP Aquatics Center. That event is scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m. and admission is free.