A halftime talk by the head coach’s brother helped the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff pull away for a dominant win in its home opener.
UAPB defeated Ecclesia College 114-64 on Monday at H.O. Clemmons Arena in the first of two non-conference home games this week.
The offense was hot all night for UAPB (2-10), but the defense needed time to defrost. The Golden Lions led 47-38 at halftime as the winless Royals from the National Christian College Athletic Association shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half.
Head coach Solomon Bozeman said his brother, assistant Jeremiah Bozeman, led the halftime discussions.
“I didn’t really say much,” Bozeman said. “He went after those guys pretty tough at halftime, just let them know, man, we weren’t playing up to our expectation. Those guys responded. … We were kind of sleepwalking, but after we came out the halftime, I thought we did a pretty good job of setting that tone defensively.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB started the half on a 15-0 run over the first six minutes. Ecclesia (0-17) didn’t score in the half until freshman Paul Jones made a free throw with 14:01 remaining and didn’t make a shot from the field until sophomore Jadorian Jones made a jumper 26 seconds later.
The Royals ultimately shot 9 of 29 (31 percent) from the field in the second half as UAPB outscored Ecclesia 67-26.
The most noticeable adjustment UAPB made was turning to a full-court press, which helped force 16 second half turnovers. The Royals finished with 26 turnovers, which UAPB turned into 36 points.
Bozeman said the Golden Lions executed the press well.
“We sped up the game a little bit, started running and jumping and trapping,” Bozeman said. “That sped them up a little bit, to where we were able to get out and get easy baskets in transition.”
The Golden Lions came into this game without two starters. Leading scorer Jaquan Scott and freshman Milhan Charles did not suit up due to what Bozeman said were ankle injuries. Scott is UAPB’s leading scorer with 15.5 points per game, while Charles is third with 11.3.
Bozeman said he wasn’t sure if they would return for Wednesday’s game against Champion Christian at noon in Clemmons Arena.
In their absence, senior forward Dennis Asoro and true freshman guard Jai’Chaunn Hayes made their first starts of the season. Hayes finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while Asoro got into foul trouble and fouled out after playing 8 minutes.
UAPB shot 53.1 percent and made 14 of 38 from 3-point range. Senior guard Quion Williams led with 25 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Redshirt junior guard Trevon Payton added 21 points with six rebounds, and senior guard Alex Mirhosseini scored 20 points with seven assists. Payton and Mirhosseini made four 3-pointers apiece.
Redshirt junior guard Anthony Sellars, who signed with UAPB out of junior college ahead of last season but had not played due to injury, made his Golden Lion debut after practicing for the first time on Friday. He played 17 minutes and scored 20 points, including making 3 of 7 from 3-point range.
Sellars said it felt good to play for the first time in nearly two years.
“I got hurt in (junior college),” Sellars said. “(Bozeman) still blessed me with an opportunity. Came and got surgery, sat out last year. Then I had got an ankle injury like a month before the season, so it just felt good to be out here. It’s a blessing.”
Ecclesia junior Christian Ford and senior Ahmad Raymond led the Royals with 12 points apiece.