The first two days of the Van Chancellor Classic saw the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff play a pair of tight games but come up short.
The UAPB women’s basketball team fell 90-79 in overtime to Tulsa on Friday and 77-68 to 25th-ranked Mississippi State on Saturday in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
UAPB (1-4) went toe-to-toe with a pair of good opponents as part of a weekend tournament in Texas but continues to seek its first Division I win this season. The Lady Lions will get one last shot to win a game in the Chancellor Classic when they face Clemson at 3:15 p.m. Sunday on ESPN+.
Tulsa (4-1) led UAPB 21-8 after the first quarter Friday afternoon, but the Lady Lions fought back in the second quarter. Zaay Green gave UAPB a 31-30 lead with a layup 2:10 before halftime. A free throw tied it for Tulsa, but Maori Davenport retook the lead for the Lady Lions with a layup of her own, and UAPB led 33-31 at halftime.
After an evenly played second half, Tulsa took a late 77-76 lead with 1:43 to play on a 3-pointer by Temira Poindexter, but Jelissa Reese tied it with a free throw, sending the game to overtime. Tulsa dominated overtime 13-2 to win the game.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Zaay Green led the Lady Lions with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Maya Peat scored 15 points, and Reese had 13.
For Tulsa, Poindexter scored a game-high 32 points. Delanie Crawford had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
UAPB led much of the first quarter Saturday against No. 25 Mississippi State (7-0), but the Bulldogs rallied to tie it at 20 by the end.
MSU took the lead early in the second quarter when Darrione Rogers made a layup while drawing the foul. She made the free throw, and the Bulldogs outscored the Lady Lions 23-13 in the second quarter to lead by 10 at halftime.
UAPB hung around with a 22-point third quarter, trailing 59-55 with 10 minutes to play. The Bulldogs outscored the Lady Lions 18-13 in the fourth to see out the victory. UAPB had the deficit as close as 69-63 with 3:15 to play, but MSU answered with a 6-0 run.
Green again led UAPB, this time with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Coriah Beck scored 13.
For MSU, Jerkaila Jordan scored a game-high 20 points. Three other Bulldogs reached double digits, including Erynn Barnum with 12 points and 12 rebounds.