PINE BLUFF, AR – Bouncing back strong, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's basketball team collected their first conference win over Alabama State in a dagger with a final score of 70-68 on Wednesday night at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-12, 1-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Shawn Williams, who finished with 22 points and four assists. Brahm Harris added a solid 11 points, shooting 50 percent and adding two steals, and Kylen Milton contributed with 11 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and adding three steals. Dequan Morris pulled double duty, scoring ten points and grabbing seven rebounds.
The UAPB offense was very productive from three-point land, knocking down eight threes on 22 attempts. Williams was the most prolific shooter for the Golden Lions, draining three treys in the contest.
UAPB forced 15 Alabama State turnovers while committing ten themselves in Wednesday's game. The Golden Lions turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor. Milton's three steals led the way for UAPB.
After falling behind 23-15, UAPB went on a 6-0 run with 9:10 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Williams, to narrow its deficit to 23-21. The Golden Lions continued to close the gap, cutting the Alabama State lead to 35-34 by the end of the first half.
Alabama State kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 63-57 advantage before UAPB went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Morris' circus layup, to seize a 64-63 lead with 4:05 to go in the contest.
With the momentum in the Golden Lions' direction towards the end of regulation, Milton would do a great job of playing the passing lane in a full-court man-to-man press to get a steal and finish above the rim with a powerful two-hand jam, expanding the margin for the 70-68 win. UAPB made the most of six offensive rebounds to tack on six second-chance points out of 36 total in the period.
"We had multiple guys that made championship plays tonight, but it all started with our championship mindset," said UAPB head coach Solomon Bozeman about the team's performance against Alabama State.
The Golden Lions will travel to Houston, Texas, for their conference away debut against Texas Southern on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be heard on UAPB Sports Network and 99.3 The Beat FM.
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