For the second time in its past three games, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff suffered its most lopsided loss yet in men’s basketball conference play.
Texas Southern defeated UAPB 83-64 at H.O. Clemmons Arena for its third straight loss, dropping the Golden Lions out of a tie for second place in the league.
UAPB Coach Solomon Bozeman said the defensive effort wasn’t good enough.
“It ain’t personal enough on the defensive end,” Bozeman said. “It don’t mean enough to us. We just gotta find a way to where it means something to us, because at the end of the day, we gotta guard to win games. So, it’s that simple.”
Texas Southern (10-15, 8-6 SWAC) had little trouble scoring. The Tigers shot 52.4 percent, their second-highest rate in SWAC play. Graduate guard Jaylen Wysinger scored 25 points with seven assists and six steals. Senior forward Troy Hupstead scored 16 points with 10 rebounds, and senior guard Zytarious Mortle added 15 points.
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UAPB (11-16, 8-6) started strong but ultimately shot 35.7% from the field, its fourth-worst percentage this season and second-worst in SWAC play. The Golden Lions made 9 of 30 from three-point range and 15 of 24 from the free throw line.
Four of UAPB’s starters reached double figures, with senior forward Jaquan Scott scoring 15 points with nine rebounds. Senior guard Alex Mirhosseini added 15 points and five assists.
Those four, which also included senior guard Quion Williams and junior guard Trevon Payton, got little help. The other five players who got into the game combined for 10 points, with none scoring more than four.
Bozeman said UAPB needs more scorers to step up, especially with sixth man Ramel Lloyd Jr. missing his third straight game.
“He does tough things for our team,” Bozeman said. “He’s going to get on the floor for loose balls. He’s going to guard. So, with him being out the last three games, it shows. It really shows. He’s really bought in to being that dog for us, that defender, rebounder. He can also score it. … Him being out right now hurts us, but it’s an opportunity for some of them other guys, when they get minutes, to try and get better.”
UAPB started the game red-hot, making six three-pointers in the first 10 minutes. Payton made his first three 3-pointers and was one of four Golden Lions to make one during this stretch.
The Golden Lions led by as much as 18-9, but the Tigers fought back to cut it to 18-14. The teams largely traded shots from there until Wysinger nailed a corner three-pointer while drawing a foul. He completed the four-point play to give Texas Southern its first lead of the game with 6:06 remaining in the first half.
UAPB cooled off after its hot start, making just 1 of its final 7 shots from three-point range in the half. The one make, a shot by Mirhosseini with 3:52 remaining, was UAPB’s last field goal of the first half. Texas Southern took a 40-36 lead into halftime. UAPB hasn’t won a game this season after trailing at halftime.
The Golden Lions made 8 of 26 shots in the second half, including 2 of 14 from three-point range.
Bozeman said the Golden Lions can only blame themselves for the second half struggles.
“I don’t think it was nothing they did,” Bozeman said. “It was all us. We had good looks at it. Didn’t make shots in the second half. Didn’t make free throws in the second half. It was all us at the end of the day. We gotta make plays. I tell them all the time, big-time players make plays. We just didn’t make plays tonight.”
Mirhosseini made a three-pointer with 12:18 remaining to give UAPB a 52-51 lead. The Golden Lions then had numerous offensive rebounds on a later possession put couldn’t score. Hupstead gave the Tigers the lead back on the other end, and Texas Southern led the rest of the night.
A 6-0 run helped Texas Southern put a little distance between itself and UAPB. The Tigers put the game away with a 13-1 run only ended by a three-pointer by UAPB senior forward Kyle Brown in the final seconds.