BELMONT — Belmont Abbey shot nearly 70-percent in the fourth quarter to put together a late run on the way to a 55-46 victory against the 17th-ranked UNC Pembroke women’s basketball team on Tuesday evening inside the Wheeler Center.
The setback for the Braves (5-2, 1-1 CC) snapped a four-game winning streak. The Crusaders (5-2, 1-0 CC) have now won their last three games and are 2-0 when playing at home.
UNC Pembroke took a 9-6 advantage after a bucket in the paint from Anastasia Sinclair at the 3:42 mark of the first quarter. Belmont Abbey tied the score at 9-9 with a triple from Peyton Nation, but the Braves shot 42.8% from the floor and closed the period out on a 5-2 surge to lead 14-11 after the first quarter.
Stella Mollica knocked down a jumper to pad the UNCP lead, 16-11, just 44 seconds into the second frame, but the Crusaders continued to work their deficit back to 16-15 scoring the next four points. A three ball from Janiah Shular tied the score at 20 with three minutes on the left in the half, but Tiana Spann made good on a layup to send the teams to the locker rooms with the Braves holding a slight 22-20 lead.
Belmont Abbey used a 3-pointer from Nation to give the hosts a 28-24 advantage just three minutes into the second half, but five straight points from Mollica gave the Braves a 29-28 lead at the 5:35 mark. BAC shot 41.6% from the floor and tied the score at 33 apiece with a running layup from Peyton Nation heading into the final stanza.
A 3 from Sinclair gave UNC Pembroke a slight 43-41 lead with 6:28 remaining in regulation, but Belmont Abbey scored the next seven points to take a 48-43 advantage with 3:42 on the clock. Sinclair canned a triple to work the UNCP deficit back to one possession, 48-46, but the hosts scored the final seven points of the contest.
Zaria Clark finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The senior dished out a pair of assists and had one steal in 38 minutes of work. Hannah Russell finished with 11 points on a 4-for-10 shooting night. Russell grabbed three boards and had one assist and one block. Sinclair added 10 points and was 2-for-4 from the perimeter.
UNC Pembroke shot 36.7% from the field, but was just 3-for-12 (25%) from the perimeter. Belmont Abbey shot 44.2% from the field and was 6-for-10 (60%) from the perimeter. Belmont Abbey posted a 28-16 advantage with points in the paint. The Black & Gold held a 33-27 rebounding advantage.
The Braves will hit the road on Saturday to face Lees-McRae. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Student Center Complex in Bristol, Tennessee.
