Box Score

PINE BLUFF, Ar.- Arkansas-Pine Bluff notched its third Southwestern Athletic Conference win of the season Saturday night, an 81-75 win over Alabama A&M at H.O. Clemmons Arena.

The Golden Lions offense was rolling on all cylinders, recording their highest point total of the season behind a starting five that each had double figures in the scoring department.

“I'm very excited about this team. I think good things are about to happen,” UAPB coach George Ivory said.

Sophomore forward Daniel Broughton had an all-around complete game, falling just a rebound shy of the “20/20” club with 20 points and 19 rebounds. He also finished an efficient 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, dished four assists from the low-post and blocked four shots.

Broughton registered seven rebounds in the first five minutes of the game, five of those from crashing the offensive glass. He had to work against the 6'10” Jerome Hunter from Alabama A&M, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, twice blocking his shot and working around him for hook shots and lay-ups with regularity.

“Tonight, Daniel really stepped up,” Ivory said. “We think we've got a pretty good basketball team when Daniel's not in foul trouble.”

“I felt pretty good coming in and getting the W tonight,” Broughton said. “Most of all, I was just focused on rebounding tonight. If I can stay out of foul trouble, it could be an every night thing. My main goal now is to just stay out of foul trouble, at least get 15 boards a night, and let the offense just come to me.”

The Golden Lions showed more of their SWAC-leading field goal efficiency with a 45.6 percent shooting performance. They only attempted five three-point shots and went 27-of-35 from the free-throw line. Coach Ivory attributed the clean play to the confidence that comes from playing with an early lead.

“We wanted to keep the intensity up defensively,” Ivory said. “At the last five minutes, we had a lapse. I'm disappointed in the way we ended the game, but I'll take the win. We've got to keep the intensity up and keep playing hard all the way through the ballgame.”

UAPB's Mitchell Anderson also had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Lazabian Jackson came close with 11 points and seven rebounds, also dishing a game-high seven assists. Savalace Townsend went for 16 points, and Rontrell Bailey had 10 points in a tough performance.

Anderson caught fire midway through the first half. In a nine-minute span, he scored 11 of UAPB's 18 points and hit five straight shots to bring UAPB's lead to 21-14 at the 7:44 mark. The Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run to close the gap to 21-19, but Townsend showed more of his highlight flair on a breakaway dunk with 5:31 remaining to calm the comeback attempt.

Broughton stepped between an errant Alabama A&M pass and deflected the ball up-court, diving for a tough recovery and passing the ball to Jaylon Floyd for a two-handed dunk with 3:33 left and a 29-21 lead.

With UAPB leading 31-25 at halftime, both teams came racing up and down the court out of the locker room as they traded baskets for the first three minutes. The Golden Lions sparked an 8-0 run to bring the score to 42-31, only for Alabama A&M to counter with a 13-6 run to close the deficit to 48-44 with 10:30 left in the game.
 
Broughton staved off yet another comeback bid with a solid effort at the free-throw line, converting on 5 straight attempts in just over two minutes to help push the lead to 58-51. His aggressive approach to the hoop was part of a 15-6 run, punctuated by an Anderson dunk at the 3:29 mark that set the score at 71-59 and placed the game out of reach.

Sophomore point forward Brandon Ellis quietly had a 20-point game of his own for the Bulldogs, pacing their scattered offense. Jeremy Crutcher made two late three-point shots to make it interesting, but the game had been decided.

UAPB next welcomes Alabama State to H.O. Clemmons Arena on Monday night at 7:30 pm.