Lady Braves Basketball Upset Red-Hot Flagler Saints 71-54
The UNCP woman’s basketball team ended their two-game losing skid by ending the three-game winning streak of a sizzling hot Flagler Saints team on Jan. 27 at Flagler Gymnasium.
It was the Braves, led by stalwart senior Nyla Aleen, that came marching in, poured it on early and never took their foot off the gas pedal. The home court Saints came into this contest riding a three-game winning streak in which their average margin of victory was 13 points, while the Braves had dropped two consecutive contests prior to defeating Flagler 71-54. Once again, Allen not only led the team in scoring, but also recorded her fifth 20-point-plus game of the season with 20 points on the afternoon.
This marked her 13th straight contest posting double-digit points. Allen also posted her third double-double of her stellar senior season by leading the team with 10 rebounds. She tallied 14 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter alone and went a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line on the day.
The Braves had three players tie for second on the team in scoring on the day as Tee Graham, Avery Locklear and Brandi Robinson put up nine points a piece. The redshirt sophomore Graham distributed the ball well to her teammates as she led the team in assists on the afternoon with six.
Allen scored the first seven points of the game to put the Black and Gold up 7-0, and the Saints never came within five points of closing the gap throughout the contest following the initial offensive onslaught.
Both teams struggled shooting from the field in the final quarter of play as they went a combined 7-34 for just 25 points, but the lead the Braves had built proved to be too insurmountable for Flagler to overcome.
The triumph over the second ranked Flagler Saints was the Braves first victory over a team ranked in the top 10 of the Peach Belt Conference standings. With the victory, the Black and Gold remained tied for eighth place in the conference as tournament time is just on the horizon.
