Zack Ciboth, Sports Editor
The UNC Pembroke Women’s Basketball held late to take down the Chowan Hawks in a pivotal Conference Carolinas matchup at home Wednesday night. The Braves started out the gate hot and led for most of the game. The Hawks in the second half started to chip away at the Braves lead one possession after another but the Braves managed to close things out and come away with the 69-62 win.
“They’re a very good team, basically I thought we won the game with our defense in the first half. I think we set the tone early doing that and then we just made enough timely shots in the second half and did enough things well to keep the separation and I’m proud of the girls for that,” UNCP women’s basketball coach John Haskins said.
With the win and with help from Francis Marion defeating Belmont Abbey the Braves claimed the East Division title and the Regular Season title. They finish the regular season with a 21-7 overall record and a conference record of 15-3 heading into postseason play.
The Hawks claimed the early 9-8 advantage before a 10-0 run by the Braves sparked their offense and they took the 18-9 lead. The Hawks closed the quarter out, cutting the lead down to 18-13 as the Braves led heading into the second quarter. The Braves offense continued to thrive in the second quarter and despite the Hawks finding themselves back in it, the Braves pushed things out and took a 34-21 lead into halftime.
The Hawks came out of the second half swinging cutting the lead for the Braves down 35-26 and then 40-34 as the quarter went on. The Braves closed the third quarter with a 10-7 advantage to take a 50-41 lead heading into the fourth. The Braves pushed their lead out to their largest of the night 55-41. The Hawks found themselves back in the game only down 59-50. But with the help of a three pointer and insurance free throws the Braves held on for the win.
Kelci Adams led the way for the Braves, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds. Courtney Smith followed with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and a steal. Kalaya Hall finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and a block and a steal. Lillian Flantos had nine points, five rebounds and four steals.
The Braves will be the #1 seed in the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament, and they will await their opponent in the semifinals on March 9th at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. They are scheduled to tip-off on the 9th at 5:15 p.m.