The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women's basketball team defeated Southeast Missouri State 81-63 on Saturday morning, winning the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic.

The Lady Lions jumped out to an early 8-1 lead over SEMO, sparked by the first four points from Zaay Green.

UAPB trailed 21-19 going into the second quarter but had the advantage going into halftime 37-36.

Joyce Kennerson emerged in the second half pouring in nine points in the quarter to put the Lady Lions up 58-54 heading into the fourth. 

Kennerson didn't stop there, as she scored the Lady Lions' first eight points of the fourth quarter and extended their lead to 66-57 with 8:07 left in the game.

The Lady Lions ended the game on a 15-6 run to seal the victory and win the tournament.

Sade Hudson and Khadijah Brown were named to the all-tournament team, and Zaay Green was named the tournament's most valuable player.

Hudson finished the game with 17 points (5-7 3PT), and Brown had a near double-double with eight points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

Green finished the game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals to earn her MVP honors.

Kennerson led the game in scoring with 20 points (4-6 3PT) to go along with three steals.

Head Coach Dawn Thornton has her program going in the right direction with back-to-back wins early in the season.

"I believe we did good at executing our game plan," Thornton remarked on the tournament. "Coming into this tournament during the holidays means a lot to us. Coming together as a family helps us come together as a team, building chemistry to lock in and win games. We came in and played hard for 40 minutes, two days straight. This will help us prepare for our conference tournament down the line."

The Lady Lions are back in action on Monday, Nov. 29 against Arkansas Baptist College in H.O. Clemmons Arena at 5:30 p.m.

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