A massive halftime deficit to one of the SWAC’s best teams didn’t phase the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in women’s basketball on Saturday.
UAPB came from 19 points behind to shock first place Alcorn State 64-60 at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
UAPB Coach Erica Leak said the comeback was all about heart after coming out flat.
“Defense and rebounding wins basketball games, and we turned it up,” Leak said. “I thought Jakyra Jackson was huge for us with our full-court pressure. (Khaniah Gardner) pulling down 15 rebounds and playing with four fouls. … It’s just a full-out team effort, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. I just wish they knew how good they were and don’t start so slow.”
Alcorn State (12-10, 9-2) led 42-23 with 9:43 to play in the third quarter. The Lady Braves had not trailed, nor had the game ever been tied after Alcorn started on a 6-0 run.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB (9-12, 6-5 SWAC) dominated the second half. The Lady Lions outscored the Lady Braves 25-11 in the third quarter, with junior guard Indiya Bowen converting a three-point play in the final seconds to cut the deficit to 51-48 entering the fourth.
The Lady Lions cut the deficit to one point more than once before junior guard Jailah Pelly finally gave UAPB its first lead, 58-57, on a layup with 4:34 to play. Alcorn senior Kiarra Henderson responded with a layup with 4:17 remaining to restore the Lady Braves lead, then sophomore center Chrishunti Walker made a free throw with 3:32 left.
Alcorn did not score again, missing all three shots from the field it attempted after Walker’s free throw. UAPB didn’t make another shot from the field after Pelly’s go-ahead layup, but the Lady Lions made six free throws in the final 2:03.
Pelly made a pair to tie the game at 60, then Bowen gave UAPB the lead from the line with 1:14 to play.
UAPB turned the ball over with 27.9 seconds remaining, giving Alcorn a chance to tie or win the game on the final shot of regulation. Alcorn graduate student Nakia Cheatham missed the game-tying jumper, and UAPB junior Khaniah Gardner pulled down the rebound. Alcorn fouled Bowen with 3.8 to play, and she made both free throws to seal it.
Bowen said the team took accountability for the deficit in the locker room at halftime.
“That’s when it’s time for all of us to step up and start taking accountability, self-accountability,” Bowen said. “We all went in there, and we said stuff that we needed to do better. Everybody came out, and they did their part, did their role better.”
Pelly led UAPB with 20 points, while Bowen scored 15 points with five steals. Junior guard Jasmine Davis added 12 points with five assists, while Gardner collected 15 rebounds.
Henderson led Alcorn with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Walker scored 13, while Cheatham finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Alcorn dominated the first quarter, 24-10. The Lady Braves shot 52.9% from the field and made 3 of 6 from the three-point arc. UAPB struggled to score, making 4 of 11 from the field and 1 of 4 from the free throw line.
The Lady Braves dominated the glass in the first quarter, 12-5, helping them build their lead. Alcorn continued shooting well in the second quarter while giving UAPB fits with its 1-3-1 zone defense. All those combined sent Alcorn into halftime with a commanding 40-23 lead.
Alcorn shot 48.4% from the field in the first half but 39.1% in the second. UAPB made nine field goals in the third quarter, as many as the Lady Lions had made the entire first half.
Leak said UAPB countered the zone by driving more to the rim, but the turnaround was more about effort.
“It wasn’t that we couldn’t break what they were doing,” Leak said. “It was just us needing some motor and enthusiasm and energy, and that was what we were lacking. … Some stuff ain’t X’s and O’s. Some stuff is just, you gotta be better than the man in front of you and have some heart about yourself.”
UAPB’s win extended the Lady Lions’ winning streak to three while ending Alcorn’s seven-game streak.