The forwards stepped up Saturday afternoon in a game the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team desperately needed to win.
UAPB defeated Prairie View A&M 75-64 at the William J. Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas, the first road win of the season for the Golden Lions.
With UAPB (5-22, 2-12 SWAC) chasing the Panthers in the standings for the final spot in the SWAC tournament, the Golden Lions couldn’t afford a second loss to Prairie View this season.
Junior forward Kyle Brown responded to the must-win situation by scoring a season-high 23 points with six rebounds and a team-high five assists. Fellow forward Klemen Vuga scored 16 points with seven rebounds, and Doctor Bradley scored 12 points with a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Golden Lions outscored Prairie View A&M (4-23, 3-11) 54-36 in the paint and outrebounded the Panthers 33-20. Eight offensive rebounds led to 11 second-chance points.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Attacking the paint also quickly put Prairie View in foul trouble in the second half. UAPB got to the bonus with over 12 minutes to play. Prairie View forward Marcel Bryant fouled out with 8 points, and the Panthers’ leading scorer, guard Jordan Tillmon, finished with four fouls.
UAPB had struggled most of the season at the free throw line but shot 10 of 15 Saturday, while Prairie View finished 4 of 11.
The Golden Lions also stepped up defensively. Prairie View’s 64 points was the fewest any Division I team has scored against UAPB this year, and the Golden Lions held the Panthers scoreless over the final 3:45 of the game. UAPB finished on a 10-0 run.
The game featured 11 lead changes. UAPB began the game on a 13-3 run before Prairie View responded with a 15-2 run.
The game was evenly played from there, other than a 9-0 Panther run early in the second half which gave Prairie View its largest lead, 43-36, with 15:40 remaining.
UAPB went on to retake the lead, 48-47, with a 3-pointer and two free throws by guard Raphael Dumont, who finished with 11 points. The Panthers briefly retook the lead, but a pair of layups by Vuga put the Golden Lions back in front, and Prairie View never led again.
Tillmon led the Panthers with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, while guard Tanahj Pettway scored 17 points with five rebounds.
UAPB had been 0-16 on the road this season prior to this win, which brings the Golden Lions within a game of the Panthers for the final spot in the SWAC tournament, which accepts the league’s top 10 teams.