PEMBROKE, NC – The 19th-ranked UNC Pembroke Braves nailed 57.1 percent (12-of-21) of their three-pointers en route to an 88-79 victory over Francis Marion University, Wednesday night (Feb. 25) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.  

Francis Marion (13-15, 5-14) ends the season on a four-game losing streak, while the Braves (24-4, 15-4) close the year with five consecutive victories.  

All five FMU starters posted double-figure scoring numbers, with freshman guard Mike Davis Jr. and junior forward Dii'Jon Allen-Jordan registering 18 points each.  Freshman guard A.J. Jackson chipped in 13 points, while freshman guard Detrek Browning and freshman forward Judah Alexander added 11 apiece.

Freshman guard Brandon Watts (20 points) and senior forward Ben Jacobs (18 points and nine rebounds) paced four double-figure UNCP scorers. 

The Braves mounted an early 7-0 run to claim an 11-4 lead in the game's first five minutes, quickly putting FMU on its heels.  Francis Marion trailed by as much as 11 (32-21) with 4:31 remaining in the opening period after a made UNCP three-pointer by senior guard Griffin Pittman, a theme of the night for the Braves.  In the next two minutes, however, Browning and Allen-Jordan would hit key shots, as the pesky Patriots used an 8-0 spurt to dwindle the margin to three.

UNCP scored nine points in the half's final 1:38 and pushed the difference back to double-digits before Davis Jr. knocked down an FMU three-pointer with :01 remaining to trim the halftime deficit to 43-36.

Alexander hit the ground running to start the second period for FMU, scoring the first three points of the half.  A Jackson offensive rebound and tip-in on a Browning miss pulled the Patriots to within two at 43-41 with 18:13 left.

Francis Marion's rally climaxed when it took its first lead (55-54) of the final 20 minutes on a Browning layup with 14:31 in regulation.  Soon thereafter, Davis Jr. converted on a basket from in-close to give FMU a 58-57 advantage. 

The FMU edge blossomed to six points (66-60) when Allen-Jordan converted on a layup with 10:25 remaining.  However, the resilient Braves snatched the advantage back with a quick 7-0 run.  The lead switched hands one more time when FMU junior forward David Jerome hit his lone field goal of the game to make it 68-67 at the 7:35 mark. 

But in the end, proficient shooting by the Braves proved too lethal for FMU to overcome.  A 10-0 UNCP run gave the Braves an 83-71 edge with 2:08 remaining, as the Braves salted the game away. 

Francis Marion shot 49.2 percent from the field and 40 percent (8-of-20) from behind the three-point line.  FMU tallied more points in the paint (38-32), but UNCP recorded more rebounds (44-36) and better free throw numbers (62.5 percent to 52 percent) than FMU.

Three seniors played their final game for FMU; guard David Brown, swingman Dustin Jones, and forward Luka Zivkovic.  Jones ended his collegiate career with 1,067 points.