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GARLAND, Texas — One champion down, one more to go. And then a championship victory before Arkansas-Pine Bluff can make its second NCAA men’s basketball tournament in three years.
Savalace Townsend made a layup with 3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, and the fifth-seeded Golden Lions edged defending SWAC tournament champion and fourth-seeded Alabama State 60-56 in Thursday’s quarterfinal. UAPB (11-21), which has won five straight and nine of 11, will play regular-season champion Mississippi Valley State at 8 tonight, with a SWAC championship appearance at stake.
UAPB trailed by as much as 40-29 with 10:19 left in regulation and then was down 47-37 with 6:44 left. Rontrell Bailey hit a three-point basket to start the 14-4 UAPB run.
Anthony Price made only the first of two foul shots with 29 seconds to go to give Alabama State (12-19) a 51-49 lead. UAPB then worked the ball to Townsend, who tied it up. Alabama State’s Tramaine Butler missed a three-point attempt before the buzzer.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Neither team made a field goal in the first 3 minutes of OT, but UAPB led 54-52 after hitting 3 of 4 free throws. Lazabian Jackson gave the Lions a 57-52 edge with a three-pointer, but the lead shrank to 57-56 with 37 ticks remaining after a jumper and two free throws. Mitchell Anderson made a dunk 8 seconds later, and Townsend hit 1 of 2 at the line to seal it.
Anderson had 16 points and seven rebounds, Daniel Broughton totaled 13 points and five boards, and Townsend just got a double-double with 11 points and 10 bards for UAPB. The Lions, however, were 18 for 47 (38.3 percent) from the field — 6 for 17 (35.3 percent) from three-point range — and 18 for 28 (64.3 percent) at the line.
The Hornets were much colder, hitting 18 of 60 (30 percent) from the field, including 5 of 19 (26.3 percent), and 15 of 24 (62.5 percent) at the line. Butler led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Phillip Crawford added 13 points and eight boards.
Alabama State led by as much as 16-8 in the first half and was up 26-20 at halftime. The victory gave UAPB the season series over Alabama State after two games that were decided by six points or less. UAPB won 62-61 last month at home.
Now, the Lions play the top-seeded Delta Devils for the second time in nine days and first since ending Valley’s bid for a perfect conference record with a 78-67 victory in Pine Bluff.