After finally getting a break from constant travel, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team returned to the court and earned its first win of the season on Wednesday.
UAPB defeated the University of Illinois Chicago 63-62 at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago after playing its best defensive game of the season. This game came a week and a half after UAPB’s last game at Miami (Ohio). That game was the Golden Lions’ eighth over the span of 21 days, each on the road.
UAPB Coach Solomon Bozeman told the ESPN-Plus broadcast crew after the game the Thanksgiving break gave the Golden Lions (1-8) a chance to practice for the first time since before the season.
“We’ve been giving up a lot of points on the defensive end,” Bozeman said. “We really defended in practice, and then, you saw it out here today. So, I’m proud of our guys taking what we done in practice and bringing it to the court.”
Holding UIC to 62 points shattered UAPB’s previous defensive best, which was holding Portland to 83 points on Nov. 6. Every other opponent had scored 94 points or more with three breaking 100. The Flames shot 34.9 percent from the field, by far the lowest percentage of any UAPB opponent.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Senior guard Quion Williams drew a foul with 15.6 seconds remaining in a tie game and split a pair of free throws to give UAPB the lead. UIC (4-4) freshman guard Andy Johnson then attempted a game-winning 3-pointer but missed, and the ball went out of bounds as time expired, sparking a big celebration from the Golden Lions.
Williams led all scorers with 16 points and added seven rebounds. Junior guard Trevon Payton added 13 points, followed by senior guard Alex Mirhosseini with 12.
UAPB blocked 12 shots after having not blocked more than four in any previous game. Williams led with three.
Bozeman said Williams brings toughness to UAPB.
“I tell everybody, man, I think he’s an NBA defender,” Bozeman said. “I think he’s that good, and I’m a tough critic. So, if I tell you something, man, I really believe it. That dude is just special. What he brings to our team, his energy, his competitiveness, his leadership. He’s a everyday guy. He’s brought that toughness to our team, and you saw that today with how we defended.”
UIC junior guard Ahmad Henderson II led the Flames with 15 points. Redshirt freshman forward Jayce Nathaniel added 11 points and 14 rebounds, with junior guard Mekhi Lowery scoring 11 points.
UAPB had not held a lead larger than 9 points in any game before Wednesday but led by as much as 40-28 against UIC. The Golden Lions spent 34 minutes, 27 seconds in front after taking a 5-2 lead with 18:39 remaining in the first half on a Payton 3-pointer.
The Golden Lions remained in front until their shots dried up in the middle of the second half. UAPB led 46-36 after a Williams layup with 15:37 remaining in the game but missed its next nine shots from the field.
That drought allowed UIC to tie the game at 49, forcing a UAPB timeout with 7:29 remaining. Williams ended the shooting drought at 8 minutes, 23 seconds in length with a pair of layups just after the timeout.
The Flames answered with a 9-0 run which gave them the lead for the first time since 2-0. The Golden Lions matched it with a 9-0 run of their own.
UAPB had the ball with a 62-60 lead with 1:02 remaining but made a near-fatal error by taking too long to get the ball across halfcourt despite no pressure from UIC. The 10-second violation allowed the Flames to tie the game with a Nathaniel layup, but Williams’ late free throw made up for the mistake.
This was UAPB’s first non-conference win outside the state of Arkansas since beating Southeastern Louisiana 62-60 on Nov. 28, 2015, in Brooklyn, N.Y.