Lady Lions show heart in topping Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE — For more than 40 years, the University of Arkansas banned any of its athletics teams from playing in-state opponents.

The ban was lifted before the 2019-20 athletic season, and in-state foes such as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff have finally gotten long-awaited chances to play the Razorbacks in various sports.

UAPB took advantage Sunday afternoon when its women’s basketball team defeated Arkansas 74-70 in Bud Walton Arena.

Head coach Dawn Thornton said her roster has the talent to match a Power Five school, even if UAPB doesn’t have the same money and resources as schools such as Fayetteville .

“We don’t even scratch the surface of what they have in Fayetteville, but one thing that we do have is a big heart, and we have young women that don’t really care about [that] stuff,” Thornton said. “They just want to come out and play hard and make a name for themselves. That’s why we get the transfers like a Zaay Green, a [Maori] Davenport, a Starr Jacobs. They want somewhere where they feel like family and people will come around and support them and love on them a little bit.”

Prior to Sunday, the Arkansas women’s basketball team was 15-0 against in-state opponents since lifting the ban. The Razorbacks have defeated Central Arkansas, UA-Little Rock and Arkansas State already this season.

Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said it is challenging to get for four in-state opponents a season, but he has no regrets.

“Like I told Dawn at the end of the game, she earned that celebration,” Neighbors said. “Go celebrate. Your team had a great win. I’m not mad that we scheduled the game. I’m not second-guessing. I’m not going to listen to any of that. It’s good for our game. It’s good for the state. It just hurts today a little bit, but again, credit to them.”

The Lady Lions weren’t alone in Fayetteville. A nice contingent of UAPB fans filled the stands behind their bench and made their voices heard in the fourth quarter. This comes after UAPB fans traveled to two games in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex last week, and their cheers could be heard through the television when UAPB beat Southern Methodist University.

Thornton said this level of traveling fan support is vital for the Lady Lions.

“Our fans, our family and friends, to come from all over to celebrate with these young women, it speaks volumes of the growth,” Thornton said. “I can kind of remember three or four years ago, there was like five people here, our [athletic director], and that’s kind of it. But to have fans to follow us the way that they’ve been doing will always give us that extra boost when we can see wins within reach.”

Thornton said about 20-30 of the UAPB fans in Fayetteville were there to see Coriah Beck, the daughter of former Arkansas men’s player Corey Beck, and she didn’t disappoint.

Beck scored 15 points and collected five rebounds. She hit a 3-pointer with 7:11 to play in the game to give UAPB the lead, and the Lady Lions led the rest of the game.

Neighbors said though he is disappointed the Razorbacks lost, he is glad Beck got this moment.

“For her to have a game like that in this gym, if you’re a Razorback fan, it’s kind of cool,” Neighbors said. “It sucks for us, but [it was cool] for Coriah to do that with her dad in the stands and everything.”