A last-minute decision was instrumental in Saturday afternoon’s game in Montgomery, Ala.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff guard Rashad Williams returned from injury to lead the UAPB men’s basketball team to a much-needed 80-74 road win at Alabama State.
Williams, who missed UAPB’s previous two games with a wrist injury, scored a season-high 33 points. He shot 7 of 14 from 3-point range and made 8 of 12 free throws while collecting six rebounds.
UAPB (11-14, 6-6 SWAC) said Friday that Williams would be a game-time decision. Williams didn’t start, but he entered the game with 17:45 to play in the first half. He went on to play a team-high 35 minutes.
Williams’ previous best with UAPB was 28 points. Saturday’s total was not a career best, as he exceeded 33 three times from 2019-2021 while playing for Oakland. His career high was 37 points scored against Detroit Mercy in 2020.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Fellow guard Kylen Milton scored 11 points while gathering 11 rebounds, and Joe French contributed 10 points, including three 3-pointers. The Golden Lions as a team shot 13 of 31 from beyond the arc.
Four Hornets reached double digits, but none scored more than 11 points. Alabama State center Ubong Okon had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Golden Lions’ defense held the Hornets to 34% shooting, including 17% from 3-point range, despite the Hornets taking 20 more shots than UAPB.
Alabama State (11-14, 6-6) led 5-2 when Williams entered the game and soon after led 9-3, which would be its largest of the night, before Williams hit his first shot, a 3-pointer. A few minutes later, Williams hit two 3-pointers in 44 seconds to give UAPB its first lead, 17-16. The teams traded the lead before Lonnell Martin Jr. gave UAPB a 41-39 lead with 2:05 left in the first half. Neither team scored again before halftime.
The Hornets kept it close but never led in the second half, and UAPB went on to lead by as much as 76-with 2:19 remaining. Alabama State went on a 7-0 run to cut into it, but Williams made four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory.