Arkansas-Pine Bluff used a 10-0 fourth-quarter surge to claim a 71-66 win over Alabama State to advance to Saturday’s SWAC championship game.
The Hornets held an early 7-2 lead on a Shmya Ward layup at the 7:27 mark of the opening stanza.UAPB used a 9-2 run to forge to an 11-9 lead with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter.
Jayla Crawford’s 3-pointer gave the Hornets a 16-13 advantage with 2:27 left in the first quarter.
A Jelissa Reese jumper closed the gap to 16-15 heading into the second quarter. Alabama State went on an 8-3 run to take a 24-18 lead three minutes into the second quarter. UAPB battled back taking a 35-33 lead on a Coriah Beck jumper with 34 seconds left.
Ayana Emmanuel connected on two free throws and Cordasia Harris made one free throw over the final 18 seconds to give the Lady Hornets a 36-35 halftime lead.
𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷 𝑩𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫 😤 pic.twitter.com/yGBc4DCIWQ
— 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 (@UAPBLionsRoar) March 10, 2023
Down 41-38, Alabama State went on a 7-0 run to take a 45-41 lead with 5:50 to play in the third quarter.
A Harris layup closed the third quarter scoring as Alabama State went on a 6-2 run to build a 56-49 heading to the final quarter.
The Lady Hornets held a 58-52 lead before a 7-2 UAPB run cut the lead to 60-59 with 5:24 to go in the contest. A 10-0 run put the Golden Lions ahead 69-62 with 1:10 remaining.
Samiya Steal hit a jumper shot with 45 seconds to go to cut the UAPB lead to 69-66. Tia Morgan’s two free throws with 11 seconds left put the game on ice for UAPB.
Courtesy: Alabama State Athletics
