After earning its first win of the season in Chicago last week, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff came close to a major upset across town on Saturday.
UAPB led at halftime but ultimately fell 76-72 to DePaul at Wintrust Arena.
The free throw disparity made the difference. UAPB (1-9) made 6 of 7 shots at the line, while the hosts made 29 of 41 attempts. The Golden Lions were whistled for 28 fouls, while the Blue Demons were charged with 11. UAPB did not attempt a free throw in the first half.
UAPB also committed 17 turnovers, leading to 19 DePaul points. The Blue Demons added 15 points from their nine offensive rebounds.
DePaul (6-3) senior forward NJ Benson scored a career-high 26 points with nine rebounds. He had more than half of the Blue Demons’ first half points (16 of 28). He shot 11 of 15 from the field and 4 of 8 from the free throw line.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB senior guard Quion Williams scored 27 to lead the Golden Lions and added eight assists and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Milhan Charles followed with 19 points and nine boards.
The Golden Lions led 37-28 at halftime after shooting 55.2% from the field and making 5 of 11 three-pointers, but UAPB got into foul trouble in the second half. Senior forward Jaquan Scott fouled out with 8:03 remaining after scoring 11 points and securing five rebounds.
Nine players got into the game for UAPB, and each finished the game with at least one foul. Seven players finished with three fouls or more.
The Golden Lions spent 20:14 of the game in front compared to DePaul’s 17:24. UAPB led by as much as 42-32 with 16:36 remaining, but the Blue Demons went on a 13-1 run from that point before UAPB made another shot from the field. DePaul’s largest lead was 65-56 with 3:45 remaining.
A Charles dunk with 28.3 seconds left got the deficit down to three points, the closest UAPB got in the closing minutes.
UAPB shortly after sent DePaul junior guard Layden Blocker, a Little Rock native, to the free throw line. He made the first shot and missed the second, but senior guard CJ Gunn grabbed a critical offensive rebound and scored a quick layup to extend DePaul’s lead to 73-67, all but ending UAPB’s upset hopes.
The loss came despite shooting 48.3% to DePaul’s 40% and making 8 of 21 shots from three-point range compared to DePaul’s 3 of 18.
This performance came three days after UAPB earned its first win of the season across town at Illinois-Chicago, 63-62. UAPB was allowing 98.1 points per game prior to Thanksgiving but has given up 69 per game since the break.