ROCK HILL, S.C. — The UNC Pembroke women’s basketball team shot better than 35% in each quarter and picked up 34 points in the paint on the way to a 65-45 victory against Division-I Winthrop on Saturday afternoon at Winthrop Coliseum in an exhibition contest.

The victory for the Braves (3-2) marked the fourth Division I victory in program history, but the first since a 67-62 victory against Campbell in an exhibition contest on November 13, 2015. The setback for the Eagles (0-6) marked the second straight loss to a Division II program after a 51-44 loss to Coker on Wednesday.

J’mani Ingram’s running layup 30 ticks into the contest put Winthrop on the board first, but UNC Pembroke went on an 13-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Alcenia Purnell just under the four-minute mark to put UNCP ahead 13-2. The hosts used a 7-0 scoring surge to trim their deficit back to 13-9, but a Kelci Adams jumper ended the quarter with the Braves leading 15-9.

Winthrop’s Ally Ross drained two free throws to make it a one possession game, 19-17 with 6:57 left in the half. The Braves extended its lead out to 25-18 off of a Tiara Williams jumper at the two-minute mark. UNCP limited Winthrop to just 3-for-17 shooting during the frame and held a 27-20 lead as the teams headed into the locker rooms.

The hosts knotted the score at 29 apiece when Sydney Hunter capitalized on two free throws just three minutes into the half. UNC Pembroke used a 10-0 scoring run fueled by a Kelci Adams trey to push the lead out to 42-32 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. UNCP limited the Eagles to 25% shooting from the 3-point line during the stanza and held a 42-36 lead heading into the final period.

Syndey Hunter’s old-fashioned three-point play at the 4 1/2 minute mark whittled the Eagles deficit back to 51-45, but that would be the final basket the hosts would score. UNC Pembroke outscored Winthrop 14-0 over the final minutes and shot better than 60% during the period to help secure the outcome.

Gabby Smith recorded her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Smith was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe and was 7-for-13 from the field.

Alcenia Purnell logged double-digit scoring with 14 points highlighted by a 3-for-5 performance from the 3-point line. Purnell also dished out three assists and grabbed three rebounds.

Tiara Williams flirted with a double-double performance with 14 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of action.

Kelci Adams also added 10 points and had a team-best four assists.

The Black & Gold continued to see success using the inside game picking up 34 points inside the paint.

The outcome marks the fourth Division-I victory for the program, but the first since a 67-62 victory against Campbell in an exhibition contest on November 13, 2015. UNCP has now defeated High Point (2000), UNC Wilmington (2013), Campbell (2015), and Winthrop (2021).

The Braves defense limited Winthrop to just 3-for-27 (11.1%) shooting from the 3-point line and 14-for-59 (23.7%) from the field during the contest.

The Braves will step back into Conference Carolinas play on Tuesday when they travel to Murfreesboro to take on Chowan (1-2, 1-0 CC). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Bob Burke Court.