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The Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions women stunned the previously 8-2 Arkansas Razorbacks with a 74-70 comeback victory. The trend of HBCU teams defeating Power 5 schools continues as the Golden Lions defeated Arkansas in the Razorbacks' own gym.
“We made history,” exclaimed Golden Lion head coach Dawn Thornton following the win.
Though Thornton and UAPB fans were excited with the end result, the first half was a bit of a struggle. The Golden Lions trailed by just one point at the end of the first quarter, but their defense crumbled in the second. In the waning minutes of the second quarter, the Razorbacks pulled off a 12-2 run to take a 38-26 lead. Arkansas' Makayla Daniels and Saylor Poffenbarger blitzed the Golden Lions with four three-pointers in quick succession. They entered half time with a 42-32 lead.
In response, by the end of the third quarter, UAPB went on their own 13-5 run to cut into the double-digit deficit. Arkansas had maintained a comfortable lead throughout most of the period until the final few minutes. In the last three minutes, Arkansas Pine-Bluff went on a 13-5 run, cutting the score to 61-60 going into the fourth quarter. No one Golden Lion drove the offense forward during the run; four different players pitched in for the comeback.
The two teams continued to battle in the fourth quarter. With 7:11 on the clock, Coriah Beck made a three-pointer to give UAPB a 67-64 advantage. From that moment on, the Razorbacks never reclaimed the lead. There were a couple stretches throughout the final quarter where neither team scored. Poffenbarger broke one of those scold spells with a three-pointer, cutting their deficit to 71-70. Shortly after, Demetria Shephard iced the game with a three-pointer of her own, making it a two possession game. The Razorbacks couldn't buy a bucket in the last minute as the Golden Lions escaped with a huge road victory.
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“My dad used to tell me when I was playing college basketball, ‘They put their pants leg on one leg at a time like we do,’” said Thornton after the game. “We don't even scratch the surface of what they have in Fayetteville. But one thing that we do have is a big heart and we have young women that don't really care about stuff… They just want to come out and play hard and make a name for themselves.”
The Golden Lions survived a barrage from Arkansas Razorback Taliah Scott. Scott drained six three-pointers and finished with 31 points and six rebounds. Makayla Daniels finished second in scoring on the team with 16 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Saylor Poffenbarger had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double along with five blocks, two steals, and four made three-pointers.
Although no one on the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions had a game quite like Taliah Scott, they had nine players score as opposed to Arkansas' five. Zaay Green led the way with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Coriah Beck had a rough outing as she made just six of her 21 shot attempts, but she sitll had 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Demetria Shephard, who closed the game with her fourth three-pointer, had 12 points and six rebounds.
The schedule for the Golden Lions doesn't get any easier as they return home to play 6-3 Ole Miss on Dec. 21.
