UAPB (15-15) advances to Friday’s semifinal against the Alabama State – Alabama A&M winner. Mississippi Valley State (9-23) missed a three at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
The Golden Lions led most of the game and extended to a 13-point lead twice in the second half, the last at 58-45 with 8:30 to play.
However, the Delta Devils wouldn’t go away. They steadily chipped away at the lead, cutting it to two with seven seconds to play on a pair of free throws by Kevin Burwell. After a free throw by UAPB’s Lebaron Weathers with six seconds to play, Valley pushed it up quickly but Burwell’s three-point attempt from the top of the arc bounced off the rim as time expired.
D’Angelo Jackson led Valley off the bench with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds. Amos Studivant and Julius Cheeks each added 10 for the Delta Devils.