BRISTOL, TENN. –
Ja'Quavian Florence scored a career-high 35 points, but Lees-McRae men's basketball fell 89-79 to Conference Carolinas opponent UNC Pembroke on Saturday afternoon in Bristol, Tennessee.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: UNC Pembroke – 89; Lees-McRae – 79
LOCATION: Student Center Complex – Bristol, Tennessee
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (5-4/3-0), Lees-McRae (1-4/0-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Travis Pourciau tied the contest at 2-2 with a slam dunk off a pass from Brandon Brown one minute into the game. Florence recorded his fifth point of the game to give the Bobcats the 7-4 lead.
- Drew Redmond stole the ball in the front court and cashed in a layup and the Bobcats moved their lead to 12-8 after a three from Florence with 14 minutes left in the first half.
- Lees-McRae had its largest lead of the game at 19-12 off a layup from Oli Smith, but UNCP tied the game at 19-19 after free throw makes from Dallas Gardner. The Braves used a quick 4-0 run at the end of the first half for the 40-37 advantage.
- UNCP added to its lead in the second half and held the 10-point advantage after a three from Quay Watson.
- The Bobcats continued to battle and cut the lead in half at the 12:47 mark of the second half. UNCP connected on four consecutive three pointers and moved its advantage back to double digits. The Braves earned its third consecutive win in Conference Carolinas play at 89-79.
- Florence went 11-21 from the field with five three-pointers and four rebounds. Anthony Parker followed with 10 points in 11 minutes of the bench. DJ Kent had nine points, four rebounds, and two assists in today's contest.
- Lees-McRae went 44-6% (29-65) from the floor with eight three-point makes and 13-18 from the charity stripe.
FOR THE BRAVES:
- Bradlee Haskell paced the Braves with 22 points in 36 minutes of play and 10 points came from the free-throw line. Josh Berenbaum had 19 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
- Gardner and Watson recorded 13 points each in today's win for UNC Pembroke.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae men's basketball faces "Battle for the Blue Ridge Cup" foe King on Wednesday, December 4 at 7 p.m. in Bristol.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
