LORMAN, Miss. — Arkansas-Pine Bluff held off a late charge by Alcorn State and won 50-41 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Monday night.
WIth 25 seconds left, Alcorn State (1-14, 1-5 SWAC) had cut the deficit to just 44-41 after a pair of free throws by Tierra Frost. UAPB (6-9, 2-3) then called a timeout.
Chi Chi Okwumabua later made back-to-back free throws to increase the Lady Lions’ lead to 46-41. Christina Lasane made a pair of free throws as well and UAPB led 48-41 with 16 seconds left.
A turnover by Alcorn State’s Cortini Cooper and a missed three-pointer Anastasia Tuset sealed the win for the Lady Lions.
Lasane led the way for the Lady Lions with 13 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and connecting on 5 of 8 free throws. Cassidy Wright and Okwumabua both contributed with 12 points, while Marion Thompson grabbed 11 rebounds.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Frost, of Alcorn State, led all scorers with 20 pointss, and Carolinsia Crumbly had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
It was a low scoring affair between the teams as UAPB led 26-20 by halftime. A couple of layups by Wright and Thompson with less than a minute left, gave UAPB the six-point lead.
The Lady Lions will return home on Saturday to face Texas Southern at H.O. Clemmons Arena beginning at 5 p.m.
Texas Southern (6-9, 3-1 SWAC) rode a three-game winning streak into Monday’s game against Grambling State, with its most recent win coming over Jackson State. Gianne Fleming and Kayla West average 10 points a game to Texas Southern. Teera Williams averages about nine points.