Despite a spirited second-half comeback effort from Central Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff defended home court on Saturday.
The UAPB men’s basketball team defeated UCA 84-78 at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff, its second straight win against the Bears.
Head coach Solomon Bozeman said the Golden Lions’ defense set the tone.
“We worked all week on defense, and it showed tonight,” Bozeman said. “We been giving up 100 points a game. We been preaching defend, defend, defend. I’m proud of our guys for defending tonight, especially in that first half.”
UCA (2-7) shot 36.6 percent from the field and 10 of 41 from 3-point range, while UAPB shot 52.8 percent and made 15 of 32 from deep.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB (2-8) led 46-30 at halftime and seemed poised to cruise to victory after making 10 3-pointers in the first half. The Golden Lions’ largest lead, 55-34, came early in the second. But the Bears, like in last year’s game in Conway, didn’t go away.
UCA turned to the full court press in the second half. UAPB handled it well at first, but the Bears finally started forcing turnovers.
Once the momentum swung and UCA got back into the game, the Golden Lions got caught playing quickly the way the Bears were, leading to quick misses that fueled UCA in transition. An 18-2 run trimmed UAPB’s lead down to 66-62 with 8:20 to play.
UAPB freshman guard Raphael Dumont helped slow the game down with two free throws and a jumper. UCA kept it close the rest of the night but never got the lead down to one possession.
Bozeman said Dumont is going to develop into a great player, and he showed some of that Saturday.
“He wants the ball in big-time moments,” Bozeman said. “He’s a freshman, but he thinks like a senior. He lives in the gym. He loves those moments. He wants that ball. … He dominates in practice, so it’s only a matter of time before he starts dominating in the game, and I thought tonight, he took us home.”
The Bears got the ball trailing 81-76 but missed three 3-pointers in the final minute. Dumont hit a free throw, and senior forward Klemen Vuga scored thanks to a UCA goaltend to put it away.
Junior guard Quintin Bolton Jr. led the Golden Lions with 22 points, while freshman guard Caleb Jones scored 20. Both made 6 of 9 from 3-point range. Dumont followed with 18 points.
Bolton said good ball movement fed the 3-point shooting.
“Coach told us to make sure if we drive, bring in two, get off the ball,” Bolton said. “Just simple plays. We made simple plays tonight, and it opened up a lot for us.”
The team’s leading scorer, junior guard Christian Moore, returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. UCA held him to 9 points, but he dished 11 assists and collected seven rebounds.
UCA freshman guard Layne Taylor scored a game-high 25 points after making 6 of 12 from deep. Senior Elias Cato scored 11.
Both teams started the game cold, particularly from deep. The teams combined to make two of the first 13 attempts from 3-point range with one make apiece, but the deep shot started to fall for the Golden Lions as the half progressed.
The lead changed seven times, but UCA’s last lead came with 10:18 to play in the first half, 16-15.