A freshman guard had a career-best performance on the road Monday night, but it wasn’t enough for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff against an ACC foe.
The UAPB women’s basketball team fell 82-58 to SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas to wrap up a two-game Texas road trip.
Janiyah Tucker, who played for first-year UAPB (2-5) coach Erica Leak at West Memphis High School, scored a game-high 26 points. It was her third-straight game setting a new career high and crushed the 16 points she scored Saturday at Sam Houston State.
No other Lady Lion scored more than 7 points, a mark reached by forward Kristyna Boyd and guard Jazmyn Sostand. Jailah Pelly scored 6 with five assists, while Briontanay Marshall and Nadiyah Byard had 4 points and six rebounds apiece.
UAPB’s leading scorer, D’Arrah Allen, missed her fourth-consecutive game with a thumb sprain despite Leak’s hopes she would be able to play on this two-game Texas road trip. In her absence, UAPB shot 36.4% from the field and made 3 of 17 3-point attempts.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Five SMU (4-3) players scored 10 or more points, led by guard Ella Brow and forward Chantae Embry with 14 each. Center Jessica Peterson scored 10 points with 12 rebounds. The Mustangs shot 43.7% from the floor.
UAPB started the game trailing 2-0 after receiving a technical foul for a pregame error in filling out the scorebook. Embry made both free throws before the tipoff.
Boyd quickly gave UAPB a 3-2 lead with a three-point play. The Lady Lions went on to lead 5-4 before the Mustangs took the lead for good with a 10-0 run.
Tucker cut the deficit to 16-12 with a 3-pointer, but Brow answered with her first of four 3-pointers on the next possession. SMU led 24-14 after the first quarter.
SMU led 36-24 in the second quarter when Tucker came out of the game. The Mustangs outscored the Lady Lions 7-0 with Tucker on the bench to pull away. UAPB trailed 47-27 at halftime despite a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sostand.
UAPB edged SMU 14-13 in the third quarter and kept the deficit around 20 for most of the fourth before the Mustangs had a quick burst late to win the fourth 22-17.