With the game on the line in the final seconds Saturday night, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff got the final stop it needed to snap its three-game losing streak in men’s basketball.
Southern University misfired on a would-be game-winning shot as UAPB escaped with a 75-74 road win at the F.G. Clark Activity Center in Baton Rouge, La.
UAPB (7-13, 4-3 SWAC) led 75-72 before Southern freshman Ashton Magee made two free throws with 46.7 seconds remaining. UAPB called a timeout after Magee made it a one-point game, then called another with 24.3 seconds remaining and 8 seconds on the shot clock.
The Golden Lions settled for a three-pointer from senior guard Quion Williams that would have made it a two-possession game, but Williams’ shot missed the rim as the shot clock expired, giving Southern (7-12, 3-3) the ball with an opportunity to win the game.
Sophomore Fazl Oshodi, who led the Jaguars with 17 points, had made five three-pointers in the game and went for his sixth, but the shot missed to the right and landed out of bounds as time expired on the game and UAPB’s losing streak.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Williams scored a game-high 23 points and led UAPB with seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
UAPB junior guard Trevon Payton shot 6 of 8 from three-point range to tie his season-high of 22 points. He had not previously scored more than 13 in a SWAC game this year. Senior forward Jaquan Scott added 14 points after making 7 of 9 free throws.
The Golden Lions turned the ball over three times in the second half after going into halftime with nine. UAPB shot 45.1 percent and made 9 of 24 from three-point range.
UAPB trailed most of the game, which featured 10 lead changes and seven ties. UAPB senior forward Jaquan Scott scored the first five points before Oshodi hit two three-pointers in 17 seconds to put the Jaguars in front. The Golden Lions briefly retook the lead before Southern fired off an 11-0 run.
The Golden Lions fought back to tie the game at 29, then at 31 entering halftime. Payton hit a three-pointer 27 seconds into the second half to give UAPB the lead, starting a back-and-forth final period.
The Jaguars seemed to be pulling away again when they took a 63-55 lead with 7:05 remaining, but Payton hit two three-pointers with Williams scoring a layup all in the span of 49 seconds to tie the game at 63.
Williams went on to make two go-ahead shots within a span of 45 seconds, the second coming with 2:34 remaining. UAPB led the rest of the game.
Oshodi was one of five Jaguars to score in double figures. Two had double-doubles: graduate forward Malek Abdelgowad with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and senior guard Michael Jacobs with 15 points and 11 assists.
Southern’s loss came despite outrebounding UAPB 41-27, including a 15-6 edge in offensive rebounds which led to a 21-11 advantage in second-chance points.
UAPB will wrap up its Louisiana road trip a day later than previously scheduled due to this weekend’s winter storm. The Golden Lions will face Grambling State at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.