A Memphis-area native returned home and outscored the home team by herself in the fourth quarter to lead the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to a big comeback win on opening day of women’s basketball.
UAPB defeated host Memphis 69-64 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Monday behind junior guard Indiya Bowen’s 29 points and 8 rebounds. Fellow guard Jailah Pelly finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Lions (1-0).
Bowen hails from Horn Lake, Miss., in the greater Memphis area. In her first game as a Lady Lion, she outscored Memphis (0-1) 18-10 by herself in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers led by as much as 57-44 early in the fourth before Bowen made two jumpers and a 3-pointer to get the deficit back into single digits. Memphis senior Amauri Williams, a North Little Rock native, made a layup with 6:40 remaining to make the Tigers’ lead 60-51.
UAPB scored the next 12 points with Bowen scoring 8 on the run. UAPB junior Jasmine Davis gave UAPB the lead with 2:47 remaining, then Bowen added two free throws.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Memphis got it back to within a point before senior center Briontanay Marshall converted a vital 3-point play. The Tigers made a layup with 21 seconds remaining but couldn’t get any closer as the Lady Lions closed out a big win in their season opener.
UAPB outscored Memphis 25-10 in the final quarter to complete a comeback that was made necessary by an 11-1 Tiger run. That run closed a first half that featured seven lead changes.
UAPB made three of its first four shots but went cold afterward. The Lady Lions didn’t make consecutive shots again until the second half.
Despite the cold shooting, UAPB kept it close until the final two minutes of the half. Pelly made a free throw to tie the game at 25 with 2:08 remaining in the second quarter, but Memphis senior guard Chae Harris made the game’s next 6 points.
The Tigers took their largest lead to that point, 36-26, into halftime. The third quarter was even, with both teams scoring 18 points.
Harris led Memphis with 19 points, with junior guard Daejah Richmond adding 14.
The win wasn’t pretty for UAPB, which shot 31.4% from the field and made just 19 of 36 (52.8%) of its free throws. The Lady Lions also turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 20 Memphis points.
UAPB was sharper in the fourth quarter, shooting 45 percent from the field and making 6 of 9 free throws with two turnovers.
The Lady Lions were also shorthanded with several players missing. Most notably, returning senior guard Kristyna Boyd missed the game with what the ESPN-Plus broadcast team reported to be a torn meniscus that could sideline her for at least four months.
This win provided UAPB with an early statement after winning just one Division I game last season in Leak’s debut. The Lady Lions hadn’t won a season opener since an 85-68 victory against Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Nov. 27, 2020.