The fourth quarter proved the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s best period Thursday night, but the Lady Lions couldn’t overcome a big deficit in women’s basketball.
UAPB fell 82-67 at Jackson State in its second-to-last game of the regular season.
UAPB (16-14, 11-6 SWAC) began the fourth quarter by outscoring the Lady Tigers 24-7, but that great start could only cut Jackson State’s advantage down to 76-67.
Jackson State (22-6, 17-0) finished the game on a 6-0 run and remained unbeaten in SWAC play.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Lady Lions had another opportunity to stage a comeback in the third quarter. Jackson State led 52-31 with 8:15 remaining in the third but did not score again for over 5 minutes and didn’t make a field goal for the next 6:37.
UAPB took advantage for a moment with a 9-0 run before its shots also stopped falling. The Lady Lions didn’t make a field goal in the final 5:20 of the third. Meanwhile, Jackson State’s offense got back into rhythm with a 10-0 run, part of a larger 17-3 run to end the third.
UAPB guard Coriah Beck scored a game-high 20 points. Zaay Green returned from a three-game suspension to score 16 points.
Jackson State center Angel Jackson led the Lady Tigers with 19 points. Three other Lady Tigers scored 14 points, including Miya Crump, who added 12 rebounds.
Jackson State outscored UAPB 46-24 in the paint and outrebounded the Lady Lions 50-35. Jackson State pulled down 20 offensive rebounds, leading to 21 second-chance points.
Tournament seeding scenarios
Jackson State had already clinched the No. 1 seed in next week’s SWAC women’s basketball tournament. Grambling State clinched the No. 2 seed Thursday night with a 60-55 win at Alabama A&M.
UAPB will finish third or fourth depending on Saturday’s results. Two games affect the Lady Lions: their game at Alcorn State, and Alabama A&M’s home tilt with Southern.
UAPB needs a win and a Southern loss to secure the No. 3 seed, which would ensure the Lady Lions couldn’t face Jackson State until potentially the championship game. Otherwise, UAPB will be the No. 4 seed next week in Birmingham, Ala.
UAPB would win any tie with either Southern or Alabama A&M. The Lady Lions beat Southern in their only meeting this season. UAPB and Alabama A&M split their two meetings.
According to the SWAC website, if two teams split their head-to-head matchups, point differential is the second tiebreaker. Both UAPB and Alabama A&M scored a combined 134 points in those two games. The next tiebreaker is record against the highest-seeded team. Both teams went winless against Jackson State, but UAPB went 1-0 against Grambling, while Alabama A&M went 0-2, giving UAPB control of the tiebreaker, ensuring the Lady Lions finish in the top four.