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Joel Pullen
68
UNC Pembroke UNCP 11-6,9-2 Conference Carolinas
76
Winner Converse Conv 7-9,6-4 Conference Carolinas
UNC Pembroke UNCP
11-6,9-2 Conference Carolinas
68
Final
76
Converse Conv
7-9,6-4 Conference Carolinas
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNC Pembroke UNCP 42 26 68
Converse Conv 29 47 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Valkyries Upset UNC Pembroke

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the first time in program history the Converse University men's basketball team defeated UNC Pembroke 76-68 on Saturday afternoon in front of a near sellout crowd inside the Weisiger Center.
 
With the victory the Valkyries are 7-9 overall on the season and 6-4 in Conference Carolinas action. The win on Saturday, also snapped a six game losing streak to UNC Pembroke dating back to the 2021-2022 basketball season. It was also the first time this season the Valkyries overcame a halftime deficit, the last time Converse overcame a halftime deficit was at Southern Wesleyan last season. UNC Pembroke falls to 11-6 overall on the season and 9-2 in Conference Carolinas play.
 
Joel Pullen led the Valkyries within an 18-point, 6-rebound effort off the bench tonight. Edoardo Buffo finished second on the team with 15-points, Jay Mitchell added 12-points, and Caleb Reams contributed 10-points. Mitchell tied Pullen with 6-rebounds on the evening, while Buffo finished with a team best 4-assists. Leo Da Campo led the team with a pair of blocks on the night.  
 
First Half Notes:
  • UNC Pembroke won the opening tip and missed their first shot of the match. On the Valkyries first possession of the game, Buffo found Reams for the first points of the game for either side.
  • On the Braves next possession down the court, Da Campo blocked the shot and Reams picked up the rebound and found Buffo for a quick 4-0 start for the Valkyries.
  • JaJuan Carr scored the first points of the match for UNC Pembroke with 18:31 to play in the half. A few possessions later, Bradlee Haskell hit a three-pointer and the Braves had their first lead of the match at 5-4.
  • Converse quickly retook the lead as Buffo had a personal 5-0 run to give Converse a 9-5 edge with 16:27 to play in the first period.
  • Holding a 9-7 advantage the Valkyries with 15:57 to play in the half, Converse used a 6-0 run to take a 15-7 lead over the Braves.
  • Moments later, Converse had built their lead up to nine points with a 19-10 advantage with 12:03 to play in the half.
  • The Braves offense awoke from their comatose state and scored the next nine points to tie the game at 19.
  • The Valkyries had a difficult time keeping up with the Braves the rest of the half, as UNC Pembroke outscored the Valkyries 23-10 over the final 12 minutes of the period.
  • Converse went into the halftime break down 42-29, the Valkyries shot 34 percent from the field, 18 percent from three-point range, and 63 percent from the free throw line.
 
Second Half Notes:
  • Coming out of the halftime break, Converse opened the period on a 6-2 run and forced UNC Pembroke to call and early timeout up 44-35.
  • The Valkyries offense continued to be relentless as Pullen scored out of the break to put Converse within seven points of the Braves.
  • With 11:59 to play in the game, Pullen made a midrange jumper and jump started the Valkyries offense after a lull in scoring from both sides. Isac Ahnstrand hit a three-pointer on the Valkyries next possession down the court and the Valkyries had nearly erased an 13-point halftime deficit.
  • At the 8:20 mark of the half, Buffo nailed a three-pointer and the Valkyries trailed 53-52. Following a made free throw from Dallas Gardner, Mitchell hit a three-pointer off a UNC Pembroke turnover and the Valkyries held a 55-54 lead for the first time since the first half.
  • Following a media timeout, Buffo hit a three-pointer to make it a four-point game. Following an offensive foul against UNC Pembroke, Da Campo made a layup at the other end to stretch the Valkyries lead to six.
  • With 5:22 to play in the contest, Pullen hit a three pointer and the Valkyries held their largest lead of the game at 63-54. Gardner scored on the other end for UNC Pembroke, but Pullen had the tip-in layup to counter on the Valkyries next possession down the court.
  • The two teams went back-and-forth over the next several minutes of game action. At the 2:55 mark of the half, Josh Berenbaum made a layup and the Braves trailed 65-60.
  • Following a Converse timeout, Mitchell hit a midrange jumper and Valkyries maintained their seven point advantage.
  • The Braves closed the gap to five points on three separate occasions, with the last one coming with just 21 seconds to play in the game. Each time the Valkyries stepped up to the challenge and made the pressure free throw attempt.
  • Buffo scored the final two free throws of the night as Converse defeated UNC Pembroke 76-68.
  • The Valkyries outscored the Braves 47-26 in the second half, shooting 57 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range, and 63 percent from the free throw line.  
 
Stat Leaders:
Points – Pullen (18), Buffo (15), Mitchell (12), Reams (10)
Rebounds – Pullen (6), Mitchell (6), Burgess III (5)
Assists – Reams (4), Burgess III (3)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will start a three game road trip starting this Tuesday night at Lees-McRae. The Valkyries and the Bobcats are slated for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off in Banner Elk, N.C.
 
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