Lady Lions Fall to Sam Houston in Season Home Opener
PINE BLUFF — In front of a modest crowd at H.O. Clemmons Arena, the Lady Lions were unable to staunch an early surge by the Bearkats, and wound up falling by 34 points in a 78-44 loss to Sam Houston.
From the opening tip, Sam Houston grabbed control. After one quarter the Bearkats led 21–10, and by halftime the margin had ballooned to 37–16. The Lady Lions simply could not recover.
Turnover trouble was the Lady Lions’ undoing as UAPB committed 31 turnovers, which Sam Houston turned into 32 points. Shooting woes compounded the issue with UAPB managing just 35.4% from the field and made only 1 of 7 three-point attempts (14.3%). By contrast, the Bearkats shot 43.3% overall and 33.3% from beyond the arc while outscoring the Lady Lions in the paint 42-32. UAPB Head Coach Erica Leak shared her thoughts:
The early turnovers allowed Sam Houston to dictate tempo and build a lead that UAPB never threatened to close. With the shot clock ticking and the Bearkats defending aggressively, UAPB’s offense never got into a rhythm. The second quarter, especially, saw just six points by the home team — enough to allow the Bearkats to take a firm command.
The Lady Lions did pick up the pace in the second half, being outscored in the third quarter by only three points. Jailah Pelly led UAPB with 13 points on 5-9 shooting and a perfect 3-3 at the line.
The Lady Lions will hit the road this weekend, and they will face the University of Louisiana Monroe Sunday, November 16 at 2p.m.
