The five-game University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff winning streak ended Saturday in Montgomery, Ala.
The UAPB men’s basketball team fell 79-61 to Alabama State in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, its most lopsided loss in SWAC play this season.
UAPB (11-14, 8-4) turned the ball over a season-high 22 times, leading to 30 Hornet points. Senior guard Quion Williams finished with 23 points and nine rebounds but lost the ball seven times compared to three assists.
The Golden Lions shot 39.1%. Senior forward Jaquan Scott scored 15 points, but no other player besides Williams scored more than 9. Senior forward Alex Mirhosseini entered the game having scored in double figures in six of his past eight games, but he scored only 1 point Saturday after shooting 0 of 7, including 0 of 6 from 3-point range.
Alabama State (8-17, 5-7) shot 41.8% and outscored UAPB 36-18 in the paint. Three Hornets reached double figures, led by redshirt freshman forward Jerquarius Stanback’s 19 points and six rebounds.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The teams traded the lead four times with three ties until ASU senior guard Micah Simpson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12:55 remaining in the first half, giving the Hornets a lead they didn’t relinquish.
ASU led by as much as 29-18 with 4:11 left in the half, but UAPB closed strong. Williams hit a 3-pointer in the dying moments of the half to cut the deficit to 34-33.
The Hornets dominated the second half. After opening the half on a 7-0 run, ASU went on to outscore UAPB 45-28 over the final 20 minutes. UAPB made 6 of 20 shots in the second half while ASU scored on 15 of 32.