CONWAY, SC. - The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women's basketball dropped their season opener on the road against Coastal Carolina 76-69 Friday at the HTC Center.

The contest was a defensive battle between the two teams, with 13 different lead changes and four ties in the first half as the Lady Chanticleers went in the locker room with a 40-35 lead at halftime. 

"Tonight contest showed that we have a lot to build upon. I saw some great things from players that we've been waiting to see how they would gel with this program," said first-year UAPB head coach Dawn Brown. "Freshman Tyler Pyburn put up some good numbers and only played 15 minutes, which was really big for her. We've been watching hoping she would turn the corner and that was big for us. Aiya El Hassan did her thing tonight. She did a great job defensively, but overall we saw a good team effort defensively. I say it all the time that defense is our best offense. We just have to continue to build from this."

The Lady Lions had three student-athletes to score in double figures, senior El Hassan scored a team-high 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals.   Freshman Tyler Pyburn added 15 points, and senior Kyeonia Harris chipped in 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds.  Junior Trasity Totten led the Lady Lions on the glass with eight rebounds.

UAPB will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 19, against Milwaukee at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be televised live on ESPN3. For live coverage and stats go to uapblionsroar.com.