WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty carried a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter here Saturday but couldn't hold off a UNC Pembroke comeback as the North Carolina squad tallied 13 unanswered points down the stretch to escape with a 27-17 victory at West Family Stadium.
    It was the fourth straight win for the visiting Braves (6-3, 6-2), who remained just a game off the pace in the Mountain East Conference while the Hilltoppers (4-5, 4-4) slipped back to the .500 mark in league play with their second consecutive late-game setback.
    "That's a very talented football team," Waialae said. "I thought we played pretty well defensively. We had good pressure on their quarterback most of the day. We got to him a few times but he got away a couple of times and hurt us making big plays over the top off the scramble."
    West Liberty struggled to move the ball consistently against a rock-ribbed UNC Pembroke defense fresh off an upset win against Charleston and was looking up at a 14-3 deficit late in the second quarter before the WLU defense stepped into the spotlight.
    Braves junior QB Josh Jones, who had already hit a pair of long TD throws after scrambling away from pressure, went to the well once too often on a first-and-10 snap from the Hilltopper 39. Pivoting away from a heavy pass rush, Jones had the ball stripped from his grasp on a sack by West Liberty DE David Gilcreast. Senior DE Devon McNutt scooped it up on the bounce and rumbled 53 yards to paydirt, cutting the lead to 14-10 at the break.
    The WLU defense struck again midway through the third quarter with Shyoun Petteway picking up a fumble forced by Donte Davenport and returning it to the UNCP 41.
    An 18-yard toss from QB Jamie Diven to WR Isaiah Robinson gave the hosts a first down at the 23. Two snaps later, Diven hit a wide-open Robinson for a 20-yard TD on a hitch-and-go for a 17-14 Hilltopper lead with 5:50 left in the third quarter.
    The Braves' defense turned the game's momentum with a huge stand after another Jones fumble on the ensuing possession gave West Liberty the ball at the UNCP 23. West Liberty couldn't move the sticks and the visitors took over at their own 14 at the 1:01 mark of the third quarter.
    "We have to do a better job offensively in terms of taking advantage of those opportunities, extending drives and putting points on the board," Waialae said. "We have to cash those in."
    After converting a clutch 3^rd-and-13 from his own 11, Jones delivered the play of the game with a perfectly-thrown 67-yard rainbow to WR Jai'Veon Smalls that carried all the way to the WLU 3. Three snaps later, TB Joseph Early darted in from a yard out to make it 21-17 with 11:38 remaining.
    The Braves' defense short-circuited the next WLU possession with an interception, setting up a field goal that pushed the count to 24-17 and the Hilltopper offense was unable to respond. UNC Pembroke tacked on an insurance field goal in the final minute to conclude the scoring.
    Jones was sacked 6 times for 48 yards by the aggressive West Liberty pass rush but still completed 26-of-34 throws for 389 yards and 2 touchdowns to nine different receivers. Early led all rushers with 108 yards on 22 carries while Smalls had 5 catches for 109 receiving yards.
    The Hilltoppers managed just 204 yards of total offense in 63 snaps against the visiting Braves. Diven completed 11-of-31 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Tyler Moler was held to 62 rushing yards on 23 carries.
    Gilcreast and LB Maceo Christmas led WLU's defensive charge. Christmas had a game-high 11 tackles with 4.5 tackles-for-loss and a pair of quarterback sacks. Gilcreast had 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The WLU defense was credited with 10 tackles-for-loss, 6 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries and a 34-yard interception return by Elijah Hadley.
    The Hilltoppers close out the home portion of their schedule on Saturday when they host West Virginia State. Kickoff for the Senior Day tilt is set for 2 p.m.
  UNC Pembroke                       7    7  0  13 – 27
West Liberty                           0  10  7    0 – 17      UNCP: D.Jones 57 pass from J.Jones (Guerra Rivera kick), 7:40      WLU: FG Rozanc 20, 11:04
     UNCP: Dixon 50 pass from J.Jones (Guerra Rivera kick), 10:01
     WLU: McNutt 53 fumble return (Rozanc kick), 1:39      WLU: Robinson pass from Ja.Diven (Rozanc kick), 5:50      UNCP: Early 1 run (Guerra Rivera kick), 11:38
     UNCP: FG Alvarado 33, 6:51
     UNCP: FG Alvarado 33, :50
A: 1,246      RUSHING: UNC Pembroke 39-72, Early 22-108, Pickett 2-2, Vines 3-2, Team 1-1, J.Jones 11-(-41). West Liberty 32-65, Moler 23-62, Ja.Diven 9-3.
     PASSING: UNC Pembroke 26-34-389-2td-1x (all by J.Jones). West Liberty 11-31-136-1td-2x (all by Ja.Diven)
     RECEIVING: UNC Pembroke 26-389; Smalls 5-109, Dixon 3-68, D.Jones 1-57, Carter 3-43, Diaab 4-34, Smith 3-32, Davis 3-21, Early 3-20, Horton 1-5. West Liberty 11-136, Robinson 2-38, Kruzelyak 4-36, Jenkins 1-26, Phillips 2-17, Moler 1-14, Smoot 1-5
     First downs: UNC Pembroke 20, West Liberty 11
     Fumbles: UNC Pembroke 4-4, West Liberty 0-0
     Penalties: UNC Pembroke 7-61; West Liberty 3-35
     Time of Possession: UNC Pembroke 36:14, West Liberty 23:46