UAPB Men's Hoops Fall to No. 19 Iowa State on the Road

AMES, IA – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team took a loss on the road against No. 19 Iowa State with a final score of – on Wednesday night at James H. Hilton Coliseum.

Shawn Williams led all scorers with 21 points and five assists.

Iowa native Trey Sampson made sure to give his family in attendance a show with 16 points and six rebounds. Sampson also collected two blocks.

Kylen Milton finished behind Sampson with 13 points, shooting a perfect seven-for-seven from the free-throw line.

The Golden Lions got off to a great start against the Cyclones, with Williams knocking down two highly contested NBA threes to get a quick 7-5 lead over Iowa State.

Iowa State would fight back early to gain their first lead over UAPB halfway through the first half, causing the Golden Lions to trail by double digits. A Milton short jumper and a Brandon Brown three-pointer to beat the shot clock would cut the deficit the seven points giving Arkansas-Pine Bluff some momentum.

A few possessions later, the ball ended up in Williams’ hand after a Cyclone turnover. Sampson ran the floor well, making it only right that Williams awarded Sampson an alley-oop jam, giving his family and his home state a show.

Angered by the Brown three-pointer and Sampson dunk, Iowa State began to pull away again, this time more aggressively, causing UAPB to trail at halftime with a score of 38-22.

In the paint, a Sampson hook shot started things off right for the Golden Lions in the second half. Williams then repeated the first-half beginnings, knocking down two NBA threes in a row to boost the Arkansas-Pine Bluff confidence.

However, foul trouble would keep the Golden Lions from coming back against Iowa State, resulting in a loss with a final score of 83-64.

“It’s a work in progress. We just have to build on our confidence and be consistent,” said UAPB head coach Solomon Bozeman about his team’s performance against Iowa State.

On Saturday, the Golden Lions will travel to Waco, Texas, to take on the defending NCAA champions, No. 4 Baylor. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.