PEMBROKE — For The University of North Carolina at Pembroke women’s basketball coach John Haskins, Saturday’s 53-44 upset win over No. 10 North Georgia was a gratifying team experience for a group that lost its last four games.

The win marked the first victory over a top-10 opponent in program history and gave UNG (8-2, 3-1 PBC) its first loss in the Peach Belt Conference.

It was especially fulfilling for the experienced players who stepped up when the group’s top scorer, UNCP (3-7, 2-2 PBC ) sophomore guard Melanie Horne, couldn’t get it going. Her first points came on a three-pointer with 1:50 left in the game that extended the Lady Braves lead to 50-44.

“I thought it was a good team win. That’s their game plan, to take away Melanie, and I thought they did a good job with that,” said Haskins.

Haskins says his bunch played a lot more physical than they did the last time out in a loss to Wingate. They exploited a weakness in the league’s best team.

“Looking back statistically, the one chink in their armor is they do turn it over a little bit,” Haskins said. “We don’t play a type of defense that forces a lot of turnovers…I think more importantly, on the flipside, is we didn’t turn the ball over.”

Junior guard Tee Graham showcased her versatile skillset and was a vital part in capitalizing off 20 Lady Nighthawk turnovers. Graham pushed the ball in transition to create scoring chances for herself and teammates. She finished with a team-high 14 points and four assists with just two turnovers. As a team, the Lady Braves only committed 10 turnovers.

Graham set up Brianna Baham for a 3-pointer that closed the gap, 26-22, just before the half. The two hooked up again in the fourth, as Graham sped down the court off a rebound and dished it to Baham for a corner trey that cut the lead to 39-37, with 7:41 left in the period.

Senior guard Avery Locklear had nine points and eight rebounds and embodied the physical nature Haskins wanted from his group. She scored the team’s first two field goals and racked up four offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone as the Lady Braves trailed by just four points, 19-15.

According to Haskins, her most important contribution occurred in the fourth quarter when she knocked down a 3-pointer to bring the second-half deficit to just one point, 41-40.

“That was as big as shot as any in the game,” he said of the trey. “I know Avery had been really struggling from three, so it was good to see her knock down that shot.”

Locklear’s triple was just her second of the season in 23 tries, but Haskins says she is a good shooter and hits them in practice so he hopes this can build some confidence for future games.

North Georgia Amber Skidgel scored nine points in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 15 points. She gave the Lady Nighthawks a double-digit lead, 38-28 with less than a minute remaining in the period.

But Graham paced the victory, banging in a triple in the fourth quarter that gave the team its first lead, 45-44, since the opening minutes of the contest.

The Lady Braves return to the floor at home on Tuesday to face Lander in another conference contest.

Braves extend win streak to seven

PEMBROKE —The University of North Carolina at Pembroke men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to seven games at home on Saturday as three players scored in double figures en route to an 86-77 win over Peach Belt Conference foe North Georgia.

UNCP (9-1, 4-0 PBC) forwards James Murray-Boyles and Akia Pruitt both finished with double-doubles. Murray-Boyles had a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Pruitt had 13 points and 10 boards.

The veteran bigs came out aggressive on the offensive end, accounting for the Braves first 16 points. They helped gain a double-digit advantage at the half, 43-33, with Murray-Boles leading the way dropping 11 points and grabbing four boards.

The senior leader was effective in the second half when his team tried to put the game out of reach. He converted a tough layup midway through the half to grab the biggest lead, 68-49.

Head coach Ben Miller wasn’t blown away by the duo’s performance and instead carried a challenging tone concerning their production for the rest of the season.

“Well, they should do that every night,” said Miller. “There hasn’t been enough of those double-doubles, we need to see that more.”

Miller testiness after the game was a result of a lackadaisical second half by Murray-Boyles, Pruitt and the rest of the starters. The flow of the potent offense in the first half was non-existent through the first couple minutes of the second, so Miller called for a line change and five fresh reserves were waiting at the scorer’s table to replace them at the next dead ball.

Six-foot-11 center Carson Mounce immediately made his presence felt inside after the mass substitution.

“I was not happy with the way we started the second half and we subbed in Spencer [Levi] and Carson. Those guys posted hard, went to the basket strong and got some buckets and some free throws as a result,” Miller said.

The Braves ended with a decisive advantage in bench production 38-20.

Mounce forced fouls on back-to-back possessions and knocked down four free throws to bump the lead back to double-digits, 47-37, with just under 16 minutes remaining. He and Levi both ended with eight points.

Sharpshooter Cam Hamilton nailed five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points off the bench. He hit back-to-back triples to stretch the lead even further, 55-42, with 13:40 left.

But North Georgia kept it interesting with baskets down the stretch, using an 11-3 run, capped by a layup from Ephraim Tshimanga that chopped the big advantage to single digits with four minutes to go. Tshimanga had 12 points and a game-high 10 assists. The Nighthawks had four players reach double figures including PBC leading scorer, Shawn Hopkins, who finished with a team-high 17 points. Zezmon Steeple added 13, while Zach Cottrell chipped in 11 and converted three shots from downtown.

The run was the closest the visitors got as the Braves held onto the ball and hit enough free throws to stay undefeated in conference play and stay in the national rankings discussion.

Miller’s squad came into the matchup as the 25th-ranked team in the D2SIDA poll and says now, more than usual, teams want to knock them off.

“You have to guard against complacency sometimes,” he said. “Anytime a team in our league can get a win against the Braves, it’s a big deal and we got to expect everybody’s best shot every night.”

UNCP’s next test is Tuesday against another conference opponent in Lander.

UNCP Athletics Braves senior forward James Murray-Boyles attempts a contested layup against a North Georgia defender during the team’s 86-77 win on Saturday. He finished with a team-high 17 points.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_JB_CORRECT-1.jpgUNCP Athletics Braves senior forward James Murray-Boyles attempts a contested layup against a North Georgia defender during the team’s 86-77 win on Saturday. He finished with a team-high 17 points.

UNCP Athletics Lady Braves guard Tee Graham dribbles in transition during a 53-44 win over No. 10 North Georgia. The junior guard finished with a team-high 14 points.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TEE2-1.jpgUNCP Athletics Lady Braves guard Tee Graham dribbles in transition during a 53-44 win over No. 10 North Georgia. The junior guard finished with a team-high 14 points.
UNCP women down No. 10 UNG

By Donnell Coley

Staff writer

Donnell Coley can be reached at 910-416-5165 or by email at [email protected] him on Twitter: @Sportsinmyveins.