PINE BLUFF, AR – Showing tons of heart on the court and putting up a great fight, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's basketball team fell short by a bucket in a nailbiter against Texas Southern with a final score of 70-68 on Monday night at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
Shawn Williams had a magnificent game, putting up 29 points and adding four rebounds. Williams shot 50 percent from the field, going 11-for-22 and 4-of-10 from three-point range.
Brandon Brown added 20 points to come up big in the clutch, going 7-of-11 from the field and 1-for-3 from downtown. He also grabbed four rebounds and had four steals.
Playing against a lengthy Texas Southern team, the Golden Lion's strength would come from making smart decisions on offense in transition. Finding solutions, Williams would rip the ball through at the right-wing, getting downhill. Losing control of the ball, Williams would regain control, stopping and popping at the elbow to knock down the pull-up.
For Williams, all it takes is to see one shot go in to get himself going. Feeling confident, K'Shun Stokes penetrated to the basket to draw the defense's attention, kicking the rock out to Williams to knock down the triple.
Working the ball into the post, Omar Parchman found a wide-open Williams at the top of the key to knock down the NBA range three to backpedal on defense, holding the trey in the air.
Once Williams gets going, his offensive energy begins to reflect on the team to make winning plays in which they would do so. With Williams running the show, the Golden Lions ran a set efficiently to where the ball ended up in Travonta Doolittle's hands. Doolittle did a great job recognizing the open lane and taking the lane for a wide-open layup.
Morris would force a Texas Southern turnover to go the other way by applying lots of ball pressure in the backcourt. Swinging the ball ahead to Doolittle in the corner, he would settle for a three-pointer and pump-faked the ball to send a TxSU defender flying to dribble in and make an extra pass to Williams at the top of the key for a trey ball.
Texas Southern would go on an 8-1 run to lead the Golden Lions at the half, 43-33.
The Tigers came out running and gunning in the second half to gain a 20-point lead over the Golden Lions.
Playing with a sense of urgency, Brown began to take charge on the offensive end by driving to the bucket and knocking down free throws in game situations to make it count down the stretch.
In the final five minutes, Williams entered takeover mode against Texas Southern. Williams would bring the ball up the floor from a made Brison Gresham free throw to go one-on-one against a TxSU defender. Driving hard to the right, Williams would step back to knock down a two-pointer.
Texas Southern made a huge mistake by leaving Williams by himself on the wing in the next play. The guard would make the defense pay by knocking down a triple to give TxSU a defensive challenge.
Not only did Williams take over, but he also began to separate himself, showing why he's the best player on the floor. Getting amongst the trees in the post, Williams elevated himself in the air, putting his right knee up to bank a stepback over a Texas Southern big man to cut the lead to six, 67-61.
With 1:23 to go, Texas Southern turned the ball over, giving the Golden Lions a chance to capitalize on offense. With the ball up top, Williams would penetrate to the rim, going up strong to draw a foul with the continuation for a four-point play to cut the Texas Southern lead to one with one minute left, 67-66.
Williams found his way to the rack again but missed the layup. However, Brown followed Williams' shot to grab the offensive board with intentions for a putback layup but would be fouled by Texas Southern to go to the foul line.
With pressure in the air, Brown would become numb, knocking down both free throws to tie things up at 68 with 53 seconds left.
The Golden Lions went into their on-ball pressure, man-to-man defense, intending to get a stop against Texas Southern but a TxSU sunk a midrange jumper to take the lead.
With hopes to sink a three to take the win, the ball would rim in-and-out with the buzzer sounding, leaving the final score with the Golden Lions falling to Texas Southern, 70-68.
The Golden Lions will grind throughout the week to prepare to bounce back against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday at H.O. Clemmons Arena for doubleheader action. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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