Top Seed UNC Pembroke, No. 3 Belmont Abbey Advance to Men’s Basketball Championship Final

3/5/2022 5:04:27 PM

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Top seed UNC Pembroke overcame a double-digit deficit while No. 3 Belmont Abbey never trailed as each team punched their ticket to the 2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship final on Saturday afternoon inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford.

In the first semifinal, the Braves of UNC Pembroke overcame a 15-point second half deficit to defeat No. 4 Southern Wesleyan 67-66. In the early going it was all Demarcus Addie for the Warriors as the senior guard scored 16 of the first 21 Warrior points. After a pair of UNCP free throws broke a tie at 21 at the 5:00 mark of the first half, Southern Wesleyan went on a 28-10 run over the next 10:28 to take a 49-33 lead at 14:22 in the second half. The Braves caught fire following a Spencer Levi jumper that sparked a 20-4 UNCP run over the next 6:42 to tie the score at 53 with 7:40 to play. SWU converted six straight free throws, but UNCP answered with a 9-0 run, capped by a Javonte Waverly 3-pointer, to take a 62-59 lead. Addie added a pair of 3-pointers in a 7-2 Warriors rally to take a 66-64 lead, but a pair of missed free throws left the door open for the Braves who converted three at the line over the final 1:36 for the final margin.

Addie finished with a game-high 32 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors while Tyrell Kirk paced the Braves with 19 points and eight rebounds. Conference Carolinas Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Levi finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The second semifinal saw Belmont Abbey upset No. 2 Emmanuel 93-70. It was all Crusaders in the first half as they raced out to a 16-9 lead and never trailed in the opening 20 minutes. Belmont Abbey took a 40-33 lead into the break as they shot 53.3 percent (16-for-30) from the field and led by as many as 10 points. The Lions kept the game close early in the second half and trailed by five, 55-50, with 11:37 to play, but the Crusaders used a 27-12 run over the next 7:02 to take a 20-point, 82-62 lead with 4:47 to play and never trailed en route to the semifinal victory.

Chandler Baker paced the Crusaders attack with 20 points while Sean Halloran added 19 and three others netted double figures. KJ Jones II and Jayvion Rucker led the Lions offense with 16 points each.

Top-seeded and eighth-ranked UNC Pembroke will square off with No. 3 Belmont Abbey for an automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament on Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford in Spartanburg.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available here.

2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Lees-McRae def. #10 Chowan at Barton, 80-73
#9 Francis Marion def. #8 King at Mount Olive, 90-83

Second Round – Monday, February 28
#6 Barton def. #7 Lees-McRae, 94-75
#5 Mount Olive def. #9 Francis Marion, 95-83

Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#4 Southern Wesleyan def. #5 Mount Olive, 72-55
#3 Belmont Abbey def. #6 Barton, 108-73

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 UNC Pembroke def. #4 Southern Wesleyan, 67-66
#3 Belmont Abbey def. #2 Emmanuel, 93-70

Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 UNC Pembroke vs. #3 Belmont Abbey, 1 p.m.