Arkansas-Pine Bluff begins the 2025 women’s basketball season on a high note, erasing a double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter to come away with a 69-64 win over Memphis.
This marks the first win for the Lady Golden Lions in their season opener since beating Arkansas State in 2020.
Junior transfer guard Indiya Bowen led the charge in her UAPB debut, finishing with a game-high 29 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
Jaliah Perry followed closely behind with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Fighting through a rough shooting performance, Jasmine Davis found other ways to make an impact, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists.
Entering the fourth quarter, Arkansas-Pine Bluff trailed 54-44, shooting just 26% from the field through three quarters.
They got going thanks to a scoring outburst from Bowen, scoring 15 points during a 19-6 run to give the team a three-point lead with 2:25 remaining.
Capitalizing on Memphis’ struggles shooting from the field, connecting on just 20% of its shots in the fourth quarter (13% from three-point range), the Golden Lions would keep the lead, putting the game away at the free-throw line.
UAPB’s rebounding was also a deciding factor in the win, outpacing Memphis 62-46 on the boards, falling one rebound short of matching the team’s total with just its starting lineup.
The Golden Lions are entering their second season under head coach Erica Leak, having finished last season with a 3-25 overall record.
They will have an opportunity to start the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2017-2018 campaign when they travel to Fayetteville to play the University of Arkansas.
The last time UAPB played against Arkansas, they beat them 74-70 in what served as the team’s first-ever win over a Power Five program.
