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Solid defense helped the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women’s basketball team win its first Division I game under Erica Leak on Saturday.
UAPB feasted on Mississippi Valley State turnovers in a 68-39 win at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
Leak said it felt great to finally win.
“Winning solves everything, doesn’t it?” Leak said. “It gets you on a high. You’re just proud. Really proud of the players, how they executed the plan and didn’t get complacent with being up by 10 and went on ahead and put they foot on that neck and left no room for hope.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB (3-15, 1-7 SWAC) had been 0-15 against Division I opponents, with the Lady Lions’ only prior wins this season coming against Texas A&M-Texarkana and Arkansas Baptist. UAPB had lost 12 straight games until Saturday’s win.
MVSU (2-18, 1-8) turned the ball over 28 times, leading to 29 UAPB points. The Lady Lions’ defense held the Devilettes to 24.6 percent from the field and 3 of 27 from 3-point range.
UAPB sophomore guard Jailah Pelly said the Lady Lions badly wanted to win and played defense accordingly.
“It was just the communication and being patient and playing as a team,” Pelly said. “It was just hard work.”
Both offenses struggled early, with neither team hitting a field goal until D’Arrah Allen stole the ball from Valley and scored in transition with 4:38 remaining in the first quarter. D’Yanna Maxey hit a 3-pointer for MVSU on the next possession. The teams had combined to miss their first 18 shots until then.
UAPB got its offense going afterward, going on a 16-2 run between the first and second quarters to build a 19-8 lead. The Lady Lions went on to outscore Valley 15-9 in the second, 23-14 in the third and 21-10 in the fourth.
Leak said she was glad to see her team keep pushing after the game was already in hand.
“We actually talked about it at halftime,” Leak said. “Win this game by 30, because you can. Defense is on. We’re doing better at our transition offense. We capitalized off those opportunities tonight, and (I am) very proud of their efforts.”
Freshman forward Kearra Jones did most of the work for MVSU, scoring 20 points with 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. She outscored the rest of her team, which scored 19 total points.
Pelly led the Lady Lions with 18 points and seven rebounds and made UAPB’s only 3-pointer of the game. Allen added 17 points and six rebounds, while Stephanie Okowi scored 13 points with nine rebounds and five assists. The Lady Lions shot 38.7 percent from the field and made 19 of 27 free throws.
Leak said the Lady Lions played great transition offense.
“Pushing the basketball and being smart and sharing the basketball,” Leak said. “Being able to read. You have one on you, bounce pass it to your teammate. They converted. It was just a great team effort. Really proud of how they shared the basketball in transition.”