MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women's basketball team kept Alabama State to just 14.3 percent from 3-point range in a 2-for-14 shooting performance on the way to a 73-62 victory against the Hornets on the road Monday.

The Lady Lions (3-10, 2-1 SWAC) had four players score in double figures, led by Noe'll Taylor, who had a career-high 19 points and three steals. Aiya El Hassan added 17 points and Jayla Atmore chipped in as well with 12 points and two steals.

UAPB's defense held Alabama State to only 33.3% shooting from the field, including 14.3% from beyond the arc.

UAPB entered the second quarter tied at 12-12 after a tightly contested first period. UAPB relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 12 points.

Alabama State then took a 29-23 lead before UAPB responding by going on a 5-0 run to narrow its deficit to 29-28. Alabama State responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Lady Lions trailing 33-28 heading into halftime.

UAPB came out of halftime on fire, going on a 16-0 run, punctuated by a three from Kyeonia Harris, to grab a 44-33 lead with 5:15 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Hornets had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Lady Lions still entered the fourth quarter with a 55-46 edge. UAPB took advantage of nine Alabama State turnovers in the quarter, scoring 12 points off of takeaways.

UAPB kept widening that lead, expanding it to 59-49 before going on a 7-0 run to grow the lead to 66-49 with 5:40 to go in the contest. The Hornets narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Lady Lions still cruised the rest of the way for the 73-62 win. UAPB took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 18 points in the paint

 "I want to start by giving thanks to Coach Jackson and Alabama State, they did a really good job on keeping us on our heels tonight," first-year UAPB head coach Dawn Brown. "One thing we talked about to our ladies in the locker room is that we are Golden Lions, which speaks volume, and we are not going to lie down to anybody. We can only control what we can control, and we did what we were focused on doing tonight. Taylor and Atmore gave us some instant offense, and Darden did a great job on the boards to help keep us in the game along with the rest of the team."

The Lady Lions return to action Saturday for their home opener, when they host Southern U. for Greek Night at 5 p.m.  The UAPB Sports Network will have a live radio broadcast on 99.3 FM The Beat, online at uapblionsroar.com, and on the free UAPB Athletics App.


 

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