SEATTLE, WA – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team dropped a key matchup on the road against Seattle University with a final score of 77-56 on Monday night at Climate Pledge Arena.
Brandon Brown had a phenomenal game for the Golden Lions, scoring 17 points shooting 50 percent from the field along 17 hard-fought rebounds to finish with a double-double. He also drew eight fouls against Seattle.
Shawn Williams added 16 points for UAPB, with Trey Sampson scoring an additional 12 points.
The Golden Lions would get themselves going early, with Sampson scoring six straight points for UAPB: two scoop layups and a pair of free throws. Kylen Milton then came down on a fast break possession, fouled on a three-point attempt, and sunk all three free throws to raise the momentum. The following possession, Brown felt it early in transition and pulled a three-pointer from the top of the key, and the result would be straight net to give Arkansas-Pine Bluff an early 12-6 lead over Seattle.
However, Seattle closed the gap four possessions later to tie things up at 12 with 14 minutes to go in the first half, causing the game to be a constant back-and-forth matchup on both ends of the floor.
The Golden Lions wouldn’t panic and understood that the paint was their dominant spot in the first half and would attack Seattle offensively, scoring eight straight points in the paint.
Keeping the game tight, the Golden Lions put a scoring hold on Seattle for the last 1:30 of the first half before Milton could close the half, sinking a pair of free throws to tie things up at 31 at halftime.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored 16 of their 31 first-half points in the paint, with Brown leading the Golden Lions with a double-double at halftime with ten points and rebounds.
Brown would immediately get a steal and score a layup on a fastbreak to start the second half, followed by two straight Williams buckets, giving the Golden Lions a one-point lead.
“Brandon is a competitor and a guy that will bring it every night,” said UAPB head coach about Brown. “He has a chance to be the best rebounder in the country, and it shows in his big-time performance tonight,”
Playing the same first-half game going back-and-forth with Seattle, it seemed like Seattle had an answer for every Golden Lion bucket scored, and all it took was one UAPB miss to shift the momentum.
Seattle would then pull away, causing the Golden Lions to fall with a final score of 77-56.
“The first half we defended well, but we became off on defense in the second half, and it showed,” said Bozeman about the team’s defense. “We also have to do a better job of moving the ball and knock down open shots.”
The Golden Lions will travel down to Santa Barbara, California, to take on California – Santa Barbara on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. CST, and the action can be caught on ESPN+.
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