The University of Arkansas At Pine Bluff women's and men's basketball teams will close the regular season Saturday in a 5 p.m. doubleheader vs. Mississippi Valley State on Senior Night in the H.O. Clemmons Arena.
A total of 12 seniors will be honored between games Saturday, with women's players
Katherine Darden,
Kyeonia Harris,
Aiya El Hassan,
Noe'll Taylor, and
Sha'Kendra Tilley are set to compete in their final home game. Men's players Isaac Bassey,
Khalid Campbell, Marquell Carter,
Artavious McDyess,
Jordan McNair,
Chris Smith, and
Marcus Wallace will play their final collegiate game in a UAPB uniform.
The UAPB Sports Network broadcast begins Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on 99.3 FM The Beat, online at uapblionsroar.com/live and on the free UAPB Athletics App. The games will also be video streamed at uapblionsroar.com/watch.
Women's basketball has qualified for the Cricket Wireless SWAC Tournament under first-year head coach
Dawn Brown for the first time since 2018 and enters the final day of the regular season with a chance to move up to the seventh seed. Currently in eighth place, the Lady Lions will be the number seven seed with a win over Miss. Valley State and an Alabama State loss to Grambling. UAPB would win the tiebreaker over Alabama State by virtue of point differential on their head-to-head matchups, as the Lady Lions won 73-62 in Montgomery but lost at home 68-65, giving UAPB a +8 point differential.
A #7 seed would send UAPB to Houston for a Tuesday matchup with #2 seed Texas Southern. If UAPB and ASU have the same result Saturday, the Lady Lions would be the 8
th seed and play at #1 Jackson St. Tuesday night.
UAPB lost at Jackson St. this past Monday, 68-47. The Lady Lions led at halftime, but Jackson State took the lead early in the third quarter to pull away for the win. Harris led the way with 16 points and five rebounds, and
Jayla Atmore scored 10 points and added four steals and three assists.
The Lady Lions opened SWAC play with an 80-77 win at Valley back on January 4. Atmore scored a team-high 22 points and added eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Trasity Totten scored 14 points and added six rebounds and two steals, Harris scored 12 points with five rebounds and four assists, and Taylor scored 11 with four rebounds and two steals.
The Devilettes posted their lone SWAC win at home against Grambling back on Feb. 3. MVSU has had four conference losses by seven points or less. Ayonna Cotten (11.0 ppg) is tied for 11th in the SWAC in scoring to lead Valley.
On the men's side, the Golden Lions will look to finish the season with a win after losing at Jackson State Monday night. Marquell Carter scored a team-high 18 points and had five rebounds against the Tigers.
UAPB won the earlier meeting over Miss. Valley State with an 80-76 victory on January 4.
Markedric Bell scored a career-high 33 points in the win, including 26 consecutive points scored in the second half, along with eight rebounds. Carter added 12, and Banyard and
Dequan Morris each scored 11.
The Delta Devils swept Alabama A&M in both league matchups for its only victories of the season. Michael Green (1st at 17.5 ppg) and Caleb Hunter (t-4th at 15.1 ppg) are in the Top 5 in the SWAC in scoring.
