Whether it was struggling to make shots before halftime or a packed student section taking out frustrations on Jackson State University’s bench, Monday wasn’t the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s night.
The Golden Lions did not recover from a 6-for-27 shooting performance in the first half, and Terence Lewis II totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead Jackson State to a 60-47 win in H.O. Clemmons Arena, sending the Lions to their fourth loss in the past five games.
“We’ve got to find a way to get tougher,” Lions Coach Solomon Bozeman said. “At the end of the day, we can’t continue to lose games because we continue to get killed on the boards. On the offensive end, we have to have guys step up and be confident in their abilities to make wide-open shots.”
The loss sent UAPB (5-19, 3-8 Southwestern Athletic Conference) down to 11th place in the 12-team conference and put Jackson State (6-16, 4-7) in a four-way tie for seventh place, each with seven games to go. The top eight teams advance to the SWAC tournament next month in Birmingham, Ala.
UAPB shot 20 for 50 (40%) for the game, but made just 1 of 9 3-point shots. The Golden Lions went 6 for 13 in free throws, while Jackson State made 23 of 53 (43.4%) from the floor, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range, and hit 11 of 14 free throws.
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The Tigers also outrebounded the Lions 40-23.
DeQuan Morris was UAPB’s only double-digit scorer with 16 points. Kshun Stokes added 9 points and Brandon Brown had 8 while Shawn Williams — who averages 14.2 points per game — was held to 4.
“They trapped Shawn Williams on the ball screens,” Bozeman said. “That’s our best player, him and DeQuan Morris. They did a good job of taking Shawn out. They know he’s our leading scorer. They did a good job of trapping him and making other guys make plays and try to beat us.”
Morris is now UAPB’s leading scorer at 14.6 points per game.
UAPB drew one of its largest crowds of the season for Greek Night, and it was a restless group that saw the Lions fall behind 33-17 at halftime. Some in the student section could be seen riling up Jackson State’s reserves and had to be separated by security in the first half, while an unknown number of fans threw items on the floor and earned the Lions a technical foul in the second half.
OTHER STATS
For Jackson State, Ken Evans scored 14 points, Jayveous McKinnis had 12 and Jonas James added 11.
Jackson State held a team to fewer than 60 points for the third time this season.
“Give all the credit to Jackson State,” Bozeman said. “They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country.”
INJURY REPORT
UAPB forward Brahm Harris missed Monday’s game with a knee injury sustained in Saturday’s loss to Alcorn State University. His status is unknown.
NEXT UP …
The Lions will face Alabama State University in Montgomery with tipoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m.