January 19, 2011
UNCP Hoops To Host Augusta State In PBC Doubleheader
PEMBROKE – The UNCP basketball teams will battle Peach Belt Conference foe Augusta State in a doubleheader on Thursday in the English E. Jones Center in Pembroke, with the women's game starting at 5:30 p.m. and the men's game following the conclusion of the women's game.
Last week, UNCP (5-10, 1-6 PBC) fell to nationally-ranked and undefeated Lander, who used a gradual run to overpower the Black and Gold for a 66-51 victory on Wednesday before the Lady Braves dropped two road games to Columbus State and Georgia Southwestern over the weekend. Columbus State held off a comeback rally by the Lady Braves with seconds remaining in a 57-55 setback on Saturday prior to UNCP being halted in overtime by the Lady Hurricanes, 71-68, on Sunday. Forward JaToya Kemp scored team-highs in all three games averaging 19.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as she shot 50.0 (18-of-36) percent from the field while guard Illya Hunt registered a career-best nine assists against Georgia Southwestern.
Kemp averages team bests with 15.2 points per game and 7.2 rebounds and also leads UNCP in blocks with 16. Guard Domonique Washington averages 8.7 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, and holds a team-best 40 assists and 22 steals. Briana Stanton and DayDay Ray contribute 8.1 and 7.3 points per game, respectively, and as a squad, the Lady Braves shoot 39.0 percent from the field and 66.4 percent from the charity stripe.
The Lady Jaguars (6-8, 0-6 PBC) suffered their sixth-straight loss with a six-point setback to Erskine on Monday after being outscored 12-1 in the final minutes of the game for a 72-68 final score. Last week, Augusta State fell to Armstrong Atlantic, 74-52, on Wednesday after the team shot a season-low 28.8 percent from the field and was outscored 44-24 in the paint.
Blaire Egardo leads the Lady Jaguars averaging 13.8 points and 4.4 rebounds while Waneta Carlisle averages 9.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. Chanelle King registers a team-high 7.0 rebounds per contest while Jarquella Woods has dished out 54 assists to lead her squad. Jemimah Ashby has tallied a team-best six blocks while adding an average of7.9 points per game and Briyana Evans averages 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while leading the team in steals with 32. Augusta State shoots 40.5 percent from the field and 65.6 percent from the charity stripe. The Lady Jaguars have been out-scored (-5.9), out-rebounded (-6.2) and hand over (-0.7) more turnovers than opponents.
The Lady Braves and Lady Jaguars will meet for the 38th time in a series that has been led by Augusta State with an overall 25-12 advantage despite the Black and Gold holding a four-game winning streak.
The UNCP men's basketball team (11-4, 4-3 PBC) looks to get back on the winning side of things after falling to Georgia Southwestern, 61-39, on Sunday on the road. The squad is 3-1 in conference road action and will face third-ranked Augusta State in a home conference matchup.
The Braves finished the week with a 2-1 record, starting off with a 27-point victory over conference rival Lander on Wednesday before splitting a pair of road games over the weekend. Sophomore Shahmel Brackett tallied a team-high 15 points while Marcus Heath, Chris Hargrove and Lamar Cross each registered double-figure scoring with 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively, against the Bearcats. The Braves used five players in double-digits and second-half adjustments to top Columbus State for a 71-69 victory on Saturday before being capsized by Georgia Southwestern on Sunday. The squad was held to season-lows in points and shooting percentage against the Hurricanes, finishing with less than half of their season points average. Despite the loss, the Black and Gold have already collected their most wins in one season since the 2001-02 campaign when the squad finished with a 12-15 overall record.
The Braves have four players averaging double-digits while Brackett leads the team with 13.8 points per game. George Blakeney, Chris Hargrove and K.J. Cooper average 12.3, 11.1 and 10.0 points per game, respectively, while Nate Priest holds a team-best 15 blocks on the season. Hargrove leads the team with 28 steals and Cooper tops the UNCP stat sheet with 53 assists. UNCP is led in rebounding by Blakeney with an average 6.5 and is followed by Hargrove with 5.4 and Cody Hughes with 5.0 rebounds per contest. As a squad, the Braves shoot 46.8 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from the perimeter and 69.4 from the charity stripe. The Braves hold sizeable advantages in scoring (+10.9) and rebounding (+10.6),with the latter placing them third nationally in the category.
No. 3 Augusta State (15-1, 5-1 PBC) gathered its fourth-straight win with a non-conference victory over then No.24 Valdosta State after five Jaguars scored in double figures Monday night. Last week, the Jaguars posted a 2-0 record following a pair of wins in low -scoring affairs against Armstrong Atlantic, 63-61, and King, 56-52, on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
George Johnson leads Augusta State in scoring with 16.5 and shoots 49.4 percent from the field and 83.3 from the free-throw line while Franck Ndongo collects an average 13.1 points and leads the team in rebounding with 7.7 boards per game.
The Braves and the Jaguars will meet for the 39th time in a series that has been dominated by Augusta State with an overall 30-8 advantage, including a 15-game winning streak.
