Basketball takes two at Zaxby's Clazzic
By Jonathan Bym Assistant Sports Editor
November 29, 2012
 |
| Photo by Jonathan Bym |
| Jihad Wright gives a defender a pump fake in an earlier game. Wright recorded his first career double-double against St. Andrews on Nov. 25. |
A successful appearance in the Zaxby's Tip Off Clazzic gave the men's basketball team a lot to be thankful for following the Thanksgiving holidays as the Black and Gold rebounded from a three game losing streak to win two games over regional teams on Nov. 24-25 in Florence S.C.
Coker
UNCP used strong offensive performances from its backcourt and frontcourt to grab a 68-61 win over Coker in its first game of the weekend.The freshman backcourt tandem of Alex Bradley and Quamain Rose as well as the frontcourt pair of Ben Jacobs and George Blakeney all scored in double figures to lead the way for the Braves.
Both Rose and Bradley recorded career highs on the day with 17 and 14 points respectively.
After an early 8-4 swing by Coker, the Braves responded with a 12-4 run to take a 16-12 lead. With five minutes to go in the half, the Black and Gold made one final push before the intermission behind five points from Blakeney to take a 26-21 lead.
Rose recorded 16 of his 17 points in the second half to lead all scorers.
With the score 42-39 in the second half, UNCP fed Jacobs in the post for nine straight points to stretch the lead to six.
Coker eventually cut the lead to four at 59-55 with 53 seconds to play but was forced to foul the Braves to try to get back into the game. The Black and Gold closed out the game by hitting nine of its 10 free throws to secure the win.
St. Andrews
For the first time this season, the Braves broke the 100-point barrier as they cruised over St. Andrews.Five Braves reached double digit scoring en route to the 106-59 win. Both Blakeney and transfer Jihad Wright both led all scorers with 19 points.
Blakeney recorded his second double-double of the year by adding a game high 16 rebounds. Wright posted his first double-double of his collegiate career with 11 rebounds.
UNCP used a 21-0 run in the first half to take a 32-8 lead over the Knights and continued to dominate them on both sides of the ball for the rest of the game.
A put back shot by Wright at the halftime buzzer gave the Braves a 24 point lead that continued to grow in the second half as the Braves outscored St. Andrews 56-33 in the second stanza.
 |
The print edition of The Pine Needle is published 14 times a year during the fall and spring semesters. Updated: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 © The University of North Carolina at Pembroke |
The Pine Needle PO Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 Phone: 910.521.6204 Fax: 910.522-5795 Email: pineneedle@uncp.edu |