True freshman forward Tyra Taylor had a career night to help the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women’s basketball team earn its first SWAC win of the season.
UAPB defeated a shorthanded Prairie View A&M team 53-49 on Thursday at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas.
Taylor scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She tied with junior guard Jailah Pelly for the team lead as junior Indiya Bowen finished with 14 points despite not scoring in the second half. Taylor’s scoring came when UAPB (4-9, 1-2 SWAC) needed it as Bowen and Pelly haven’t had much scoring help this season.
Prairie View (2-12, 0-3) played without its leading two scorers. Sophomore guards Crystal Schultz and CJ Wilson, who were the top two scorers in the SWAC entering the game, did not play. The Lady Panthers used a seven-player rotation and had one player, freshman center Preston Young, foul out with 6:30 remaining in the game. UAPB used nine players.
In Schultz and Wilson’s absence, freshman guards Alana Shields and Margan Allen stepped up with career highs for the Lady Panthers. Shields scored 18 points and Allen 14 with both making three 3-pointers apiece.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Neither team shot well, with UAPB finishing 29.9 percent from the floor and Prairie View 31.9 percent. The Lady Panthers connected on seven 3-pointers and added 12 points from the free throw line, most of that in the fourth quarter. The Lady Lions attempted 20 more shots from the floor than Prairie View but only connected on five more.
The teams traded the lead 10 times with six ties. Neither team led by more than 7, a mark UAPB reached with 2:28 remaining in the game. Prairie View made 8 of 10 free throws in the fourth but shot 1 of 10 from the floor as UAPB held on after entering the fourth with a 45-39 edge.
The Lady Lions dominated the boards, outrebounding Prairie View 46-31. Senior center Briontanay Marshall collected a game-high 11 rebounds.
This was UAPB’s third road victory this season. The Lady Lions will go for a fourth on Saturday at Texas Southern, which defeated Mississippi Valley State 72-62 on Thursday.