COLLEGE PARK, Ga. – After taking a big early lead, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff had to hang on to advance in the SWAC women’s basketball tournament Tuesday night.
UAPB outlasted Mississippi Valley State 81-74 at the Gateway Center Arena in the Atlanta area, booking a trip to Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
UAPB Coach Erica Leak said she was proud of her team for having the grit to finish a tough game.
“We do understand that it’s March, and it’s no matter if you beat teams twice or if you blew them out,” Leak said. “That all goes out the window during this time of year, so I’m just happy that we did the things we needed to do to finish and get the (win).”
No. 7-seed UAPB (14-15) led 77-74 with 1:01 remaining. After junior guard Indiya Bowen split a pair of free throws with 34.4 seconds left, the Devilettes got the ball after discussion and review despite the officials initially saying they stepped out of bounds on the rebound.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Senior guard Janiya Jones, who led No. 9-seed Mississippi Valley (8-23) with 22 points, fired off a three-pointer but missed, allowing Bowen to grab the rebound and earn another trip to the free throw line. Jones attempted another shot in the final 10 seconds, but UAPB junior guard Jailah Pelly grabbed the rebound and scored in transition to put the game away.
UAPB started slowly but ultimately dominated the first quarter. The Lady Lions made 10 shots to Valley’s four, and UAPB senior center Briontanay Marshall had more rebounds, eight, than Valley, six.
The Lady Lions led by as much as 28-12 early in the second quarter and seemed set to run away with the game. The Lady Lions had defeated the Devilettes 68-48 in Pine Bluff on senior night and were looking for a similar result.
UAPB at one point in the first quarter made seven shots in a string of eight attempts as it built its lead, but the shooting cooled off afterward. UAPB only made consecutive shots once each in the second and third quarters, and the Devilettes outscored UAPB 37-28 in the middle periods.
Valley Coach Jason James said the Devilettes’ defense got them back in the game.
“We knew coming into this game that they probably got the three best guards in the conference as a starting lineup, to me,” James said. “They got two that can shoot it, so we knew this was going to be a challenge for us. Once we got our mindset, came out of the zone and played man, played defensively, good defense, we knew we could get back in the game.”
The Devilettes got the deficit down to two points twice in the fourth quarter but never tied the game or took the lead.
Bowen, the SWAC Newcomer of the Year, averaged 24 points in UAPB’s two regular season games against Valley. Tuesday, the Devilettes played tight man-to-man defense on her, doing their best to deny her the ball and opportunities to shoot.
Despite this, she finished with 19 points, tied for the team lead. Bowen said she had to calm down as the game progressed.
“I think I let them get to me a little bit, but (Leak) had to get me refocused,” Bowen said. “I had to get everybody else involved. It’s not just about me. It’s a team effort. So, I had just had lock in, make sure I stayed involved.”
UAPB had to play with its post players in foul trouble. Junior forward Khaniah Gardner fouled out with 1:19 to play. Despite sitting much of the first half, she finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Tyra Taylor finished with four fouls.
Both had three fouls in the first half, meaning reserve players Zoey Davis and Briah Hampton got into the game briefly. UAPB also played at times with four guards and Marshall.
Leak said it had to be next man up.
“We have people that practice and work hard every single day, and so the message is, be ready when your number is called,” Leak said. “It’s everybody. So, you have on black and gold, we expect you to be able to handle your own and go out there and know what’s going on, know what to do. Go out there and be error free while you’re out there to help us.”
UAPB will face No. 2-seed Alcorn State at 4:30 p.m. CDT in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.