After losing a big second half lead, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team fell behind in overtime and never recovered on Monday night.
Bethune-Cookman won 87-82 in overtime at H.O. Clemmons Arena, handing UAPB its third straight loss and second at home.
UAPB (6-13, 3-3 SWAC) led 53-36 with 16:02 to play after freshman guard Milhan Charles capped off a dominant start to the second half with a dunk. The Golden Lions started the half on a 16-4 run.
Bethune-Cookman (7-11, 4-1) called a timeout and went to a full-court press defense, forcing turnovers to fuel a comeback. UAPB didn’t make another field goal until senior Jaquan Scott dunked with 5:41 remaining.
In the meantime, the Wildcats went on a 22-2 run. BCU senior Jakobi Heady hit a game-tying jumper with 8:34 to play while UAPB senior Alex Mirhosseini was down holding his face behind the play.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Heady drew a foul while making the shot, and UAPB Coach Solomon Bozeman received a technical foul for arguing with the officials about the prior play where Mirhosseini was hit. Heady made three free throws to complete the comeback.
Bozeman said UAPB’s 17 turnovers kept the Golden Lions from closing out the game.
“You gotta put dudes away,” Bozeman said. “There’s no way that we don’t put those guys away. It can’t be a close game. I thought we turned the ball over a couple times, and they were able to capitalize off it and get some steals and get some easy layups. That’s really what kind of turned the game, was their pressure. You gotta be strong with the ball.”
The Wildcats led 58-54 before Scott made four straight free throws to tie the game. Scott later dunked again to give UAPB the lead back. The Golden Lions went on to lead 69-67 with 58 seconds remaining before BCU senior Daniel Rouzan tied the game at the free throw line.
The game went to overtime, and BCU senior Seneca Willoughby struck first with a go-ahead three-pointer. The Wildcats led the rest of the way.
Bozeman received a second technical and was ejected with 8.6 seconds remaining after UAPB had to foul with BCU already leading 83-80.
The officials called a combined 51 fouls, 29 of them on UAPB. Two starters, Scott and senior Quion Williams, fouled out in regulation. Three other Golden Lions, Mirhosseini, Trevon Payton and Ramel Lloyd Jr., finished with four fouls.
No Wildcats fouled out, though three finished with four fouls. The Wildcats shot 30 of 41 from the free throw line, while UAPB shot 21 of 30.
Bozeman said he got technicals for standing up for his players.
“I’ve been in this league five years now, and it’s awful,” Bozeman said. “I literally recruit guys, and I let them know, don’t expect to get anything here, even at home. You saw it tonight. I thought one (official) was pretty good. I thought the other two were awful. That’s just what it is.
“That’s why I got a tech. I’ll stand up for my guys every single time, because it’s out of control, man. It’s really, really bad. It’s really, really bad. I know nobody’s perfect, but, I mean, they can be better.”
Heady led all scorers with 25 points after making 12 free throws. Rouzan scored 17 for BCU, with Arterio Morris adding 16. UAPB transfer Doctor Bradley scored 12 points with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in his return to Pine Bluff.
The Wildcats dominated the boards, outrebounding UAPB 41-29. BCU collected 15 offensive rebounds to UAPB’s eight and outscored the Golden Lions 19-9 on second chances.
Williams and Charles led UAPB with 19 points each. That tied Charles’ season high, and Williams added nine assists and six rebounds.
Bozeman said Charles is showing how good he can be.
“It’s a blessing, man, just to see his growth,” Bozeman said. “He continues to grow every single day. He’s really good at cutting. He’s really good at getting to the rim, just putting his head down. He’s hard to stop, so he’s only going to continue to grow from this. He’s going to be special. He’s got a lot of talent and a lot of upside, so the best is yet to come from him.”
Scott finished with 16 points, with Mirhosseini scoring 15.