Isaac Jackson scored a season-high 28 points, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello staved off a strong push by Arkansas Baptist College to take a 72-67 men’s basketball victory Thursday at Steelman Field House in Monticello.
Jackson was 9 for 13 from the floor and made 10 of 14 free throws. He also had 3 steals while playing the entire game.
UAM (2-2) is 2-0 on its seven-game homestand, which will continue at 6 p.m. Tuesday with a rivalry game against former Gulf South Conference foe Delta State (Miss.)
Arkansas Baptist (4-3), of the NAIA’s Continental Athletic Conference, saw a two-game winning streak come to an end. The Buffaloes led twice, matching its largest lead at 12-11, and fell behind by as much as 59-49 with 6:43 left in the game.
Tray’von Thomas sank a 3-point basket to draw the Buffs within 63-60 with 1:55 left. Josh Smith made it a two-possession game with 1:26 to go, and free throws by Jackson extended the lead to 67-60.
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The Buffs pulled within 3 points twice more, the last time on a Brian Gilmore 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, but UAM’s 7-for-8 free-throw shooting in the last 40 seconds allowed them to hold off Arkansas Baptist.
UAM was 16 for 24 at the line for the game but shot 25 of 48 (52.1%) from the floor, including 6 of 19 from 3-point range. Jakob Zenon scored 14 points, Smith had 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Giancarlo Valdez added 10 in the win.
Arkansas Baptist made just 22 of 60 (36.7%), going 5 for 15 from the arc. The Buffs made 18 of 19 free throws.
Lequan Washington (12 points), Christopher Hood (11 points) and Treylon Swayzer (6 points) each went 4 for 4 at the line for Arkansas Baptist. Gilmore added 10 points.
WOMEN: UAM 73, CROWLEY’S RIDGE 24
Earlier Thursday in Monticello, 10 Cotton Blossoms entered the scoring column, and UAM improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season with a dominating win over Crowley’s Ridge College.
The final margin was the largest of the game for the Blossoms, who scored the first basket 11 seconds in and never relinquished the lead. They made 30 of 67 (44.8%) field goals and 8 of 10 free throws.
Alindsey Long and Ella Hamlin each scored 12 points to lead UAM. Long went 4 for 7 from 3-point range as UAM made 5 of 19 as a team.
Jena Warden added 10 points and Opal Hardy-Pearch nearly reached a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds.
Crowley’s Ridge (0-7), of the NAIA’s American Midwest Conference, never scored more than 8 points in a quarter. The Pioneers went just 9 for 43 (20.9%) from the field and made just 2 of 11 free throws.
Kyrsten Bake had 10 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Pioneers.
UAM will visit Delta State for a 2 p.m. tipoff Saturday in Cleveland, Miss.