PEMBROKE, N.C. – The Chowan Women's Basketball team built a large lead before fending off one of the top ranked teams in the league for their third straight win with a 62-54 victory over UNC Pembroke on the road on Tuesday evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 62, UNC Pembroke 54.
RECORDS | Chowan 6-4 (6-2), UNC Pembroke 8-4 (6-2)
LOCATION | Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Tyaysia Sharpe led the Hawks with a career-high 14 points on 6-7 shooting. Demetria Bland added 14 points along with a season-high 14 points from Brianna Copeland.
Destiny Robinson tallied nine points and eight rebounds. Olivia Gaither hauled in eight rebounds.
UNC Pembroke held opponents to 30.5% shooting coming into the contest (second best in the NCAA), before the Hawks shot 40.7% (22-54) from the floor.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter:
Destiny Robinson opened the scoring going 1-2 from the stripe after picking up a rebound on the offensive glass. Brianna Copeland and Tyaysia Sharpe connected from deep to give the Hawks a 7-2 advantage early.
UNC Pembroke took the lead 10-9 with an 8-2 run as Monique Jones recorded the putback for the lone bucket. Olivia Gaither evened the score with a freebie.
The Braves led 12-10 at the end of the opening stanza.
Second Quarter:
Brianna Copeland and Tyaysia Sharpe connected from deep to put the Hawks back on top, 16-14, as the lead swapped hands during the early portion of the quarter. Sharpe added a pair of jumpers in transition to give the Hawks a 20-16 lead.
Following a UNCP timeout, Demetria Bland knocked down a jumper before Destiny Robinson tallied a layup to give the Hawks a 24-16 advantage. Bland connected from deep to counter the Braves triple to maintain the advantage.
The Hawks pushed their lead to double-digits as Olivia Gaither added a jumper on a second chance opportunity, 29-19. Destiny Robinson added a jumper in transition to force another UNCP timeout, 31-19.
UNCP knocked down a triple to end the half as the Hawks led 31-22 at the intermission.
Third Quarter:
Brianna Copeland started the quarter with a three-pointer to spark an early run for the Hawks. Monique Jones notched a pair of buckets and Destiny Robinson added a jumper to push the Hawks' advantage to 40-24 early in the period.
UNCP would pick up points at the stripe as the Hawks picked up fouls early in the quarter. Demetria Bland ended the scoreless drought with a jumper. Bland connected from deep before Tyaysia Sharpe hit a jumper to push the lead to 47-26.
Shequana Jackson added a tally to the scoreboard with a free throw before Destiny Robinson posted a jumper to lead 50-28 at the end of the third stanza.
Fourth Quarter:
UNCP opened the quarter on a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 50-38 before Tyaysia Sharpe connected from the floor to slow the run. Brianna Copeland knocked down a triple to end the run to keep the Hawks in front 55-41.
The Braves inched closer at the stripe to trim the deficit to 55-45 with just over a minute to play. Demetria Bland and Brianna Copeland tallied a pair at the stripe as the Braves knocked down a three-pointer to trim the deficit to single-digits, 59-50, with 37 seconds remaining.
Kashara Simpson picked up a point at the stripe as UNC Pembroke continued to chip away at the stripe to close the gap to 60-54. Demetria Bland added a pair at the stripe with seven seconds remaining to finish off the contest.
UP NEXT
Chowan continues their road trip as the Hawks travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on Converse in a Conference Carolinas contest on Friday, January 7.
