Tuesday night’s upset win could be a turning point in the season for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team if the Golden Lions can start a winning streak this weekend.
With its four-game home stand over, UAPB returns to the road to face Alcorn State at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lorman, Miss., followed by a trip to Jackson State at 7 p.m. Monday.
Alcorn will stream its game on YouTube, while Jackson State will broadcast Monday’s game on the JSU Sports Network.
UAPB (4-18, 1-8 SWAC) is coming off a 69-68 upset win against Texas Southern, the SWAC’s second place team, which entered the game on a seven-game winning streak. Texas Southern’s only previous SWAC loss was to Southern, which sits in first place at 9-0.
Junior guard Doctor Bradley said the Golden Lions can’t feel satisfied with that win.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We can’t be comfortable,” Bradley said. “We gotta keep playing hard, go watch film. See what we did this game, take that into the next game, just apply it. We’re gonna keep on learning, and we’re gonna keep on getting better. We just need to see it. We got it, for sure.”
UAPB entered the Texas Southern game as the worst scoring defense in the SWAC but held the Tigers to 68 points, the first time all season the Golden Lions have held a Division I opponent below 73.
That performance alone moved UAPB up one spot to 11th in scoring defense. Alabama A&M has allowed 1 additional point through nine SWAC games, meaning TSU’s game-winning attempt bouncing out made the difference.
That win snapped UAPB’s eight-game losing streak, which had been the Golden Lions’ worst start to conference play since the 2002-03 season. The final loss of that streak came at home against then-last place Mississippi Valley State three days before UAPB shocked Texas Southern.
UAPB coach Solomon Bozeman said the Golden Lions did a lot of soul searching after the loss to MVSU, and the way the players responded was a major reason for the win against TSU.
“We let the players open up and say what they need to say,” Bozeman said. “Then we had film sessions, and then the players have been holding each other accountable in the film sessions. So, it’s been really good. Anytime your players start to lead and hold each other accountable, man, that’s when you feel like your program’s at its best. So, we gotta move forward and find a way to get Alcorn.”
Alcorn State (5-17, 5-4) could present another opportunity to improve UAPB’s defensive numbers. The Braves score 66.2 points per SWAC game, the third fewest in the league. They win with their defense, which ranks second.
This game will feature the SWAC’s top two rebounders. Bradley averages 9.7 rebounds per game and had 16 against TSU on Tuesday. Alcorn forward Djahi Binet averages 8.7 per game in SWAC play.
Jackson State (6-16, 6-3) has been the opposite of Alcorn this season. The Tigers have scored the second-most points of any team in SWAC play, 78.4 per game, but allow the fourth-most, 75.2.
Bozeman said he doesn’t expect facing such different teams back-to-back should be a problem for UAPB’s preparation.
“I just tell our guys, the focus is on us,” Bozeman said. “We gotta do what we do. We gotta defend the way we defend. We gotta lock into our defensive principles. We can score the ball. We’ve proven after last game that we can guard, holding Texas Southern to 68 points, 33 (percent) from the field. So, just gotta continue to get better on both ends of the floor.”
Junior JSU guard Daeshun Ruffin has led the league in assists since the start of SWAC play with 4.8 per game while also scoring 18.9 points per game, which ranks fourth.