PEMBROKE, N.C. – Lees-McRae men's basketball ended UNC Pembroke's 11-game winning streak on Saturday with the 77-73 victory in Conference Carolinas play.
Timon Jones guided the Bobcats with a season-high 21 points.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 77; UNC Pembroke – 73
LOCATION: English E. Jones Center – Pembroke, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (12-5/6-2); UNC Pembroke (13-4/7-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Jones got Lees-McRae on the board with a jumper inside the paint at the 18:52 mark of the first half. UNCP answered on their next offensive possession with a basket from Elijah Cobb. Nico Ashley gained the lead for the Bobcats off a three-pointer via a Jones assist.
- Sidney Dollar regained the one-point advantage for Lees-McRae off a steal and fastbreak dunk with 16:13 left in the first half. The Bobcats built the lead to 10 points after a 10-2 run.
- UNCP cut the deficit to two points with 2:57 left before halftime, but the Braves were dealt two technical fouls and the Bobcats pushed their back to seven points on five free throw makes. Lees-McRae took the 36-29 margin into the halftime break.
- Jones continued his hot shooting out of the break with a fastbreak layup off a steal from Dollar. UNCP then went on a 10-0 scoring run, but Jones gave Lees-McRae the lead once again with a three-pointer at 41-39.
- Lees-McRae and UNCP battled in the second half as the two teams traded leads in the final 10 minutes of action. Jalen Crowder brought the momentum back to the Bobcats with a game-tying three with 7:20 remaining in the second half. Dollar knocked down a free to put Lees-McRae back in front at 58-57.
- The Bobcats had to answer once more as LJ Rogers calmy hit both free throws to earn the two-point lead with 3:05 left in the game. UNCP knotted the score once more at 71 apiece, but Rogers buried the go-ahead three-pointer at the 2:17 mark. Rodney Smith pushed the lead back to three points at 76-73 and the Bobcats held off a late miss from the Braves for the 77-73 win.
- The two sides traded the lead multiple times throughout the second half and 17 times throughout the contest.
- Jones went 7-11 from the field with four three-pointers for 21 points and added two assists. Ja'Quavian Florence followed with 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Rogers recorded eight points with five timely free throw makes. Smith and Jaylin Stewart joined Rogers with eight points apiece in today's contest.
- Dollar, who is leading the nation in total steals, had five steals to go along with five points and five rebounds for Lees-McRae.
FOR THE BRAVES:
- Bradlee Haskell led four Braves in double-digit scoring on the day with 17 points on 4-8 from the field. Dallas Gardner (15 points), Nygell Verdier (12 points), and JaJuan Carr (11 points) joined Haskell in double figures for UNC Pembroke.
- The loss for the Braves was the first since falling to Tusculum on Nov. 18, 2023.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae men's basketball returns to the McNair & Debi Tornow Court on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. for a Conference Carolinas Northwest Division showdown with Converse.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
