UAPB Men’s Hoops: Four Players in Double Digits Lifts Golden Lions to Victory over Alabama State

MONTGOMERY, AL – After a heart breaking loss at home, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team bounced back big time in a significant win over Alabama State with a final score of 75-70 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

The Golden Lions had four players in double digits, with Kylen Milton leading with 17 points and six rebounds, followed by Dequan Morris with 16 points and five rebounds. Shawn Williams added 15 points, and Travonta Doolittle had a great game of 14 points, going 6-of-9 from the field.

In the first five minutes of play, the Golden Lions set the tone defensively against Alabama State by flying around on defensive with active hands, causing the Hornets to miss five shots to calm the game down, allowing Arkansas-Pine Bluff to run their offense effectively.

Remaining patient with the basketball, a gap opened for Morris to attack after a snake dribble to get around two Alabama State defenders and get one caught on his hip, opening a wide-open lane to catch an early body and increase the intensity of the team early on.

However, Doolittle took advantage of his minutes in the first half and took over. All it takes is for him to get one bucket and a couple of stops to get this guy going in, which he would do against Alabama State. Gabriel Vargas ran the show half of the time for the Golden Lions, and when he did, he found the open man every time. Vargas swung the ball to Doolittle from the backcourt to the corner for a three-pointer to tie things up at 12 early.

“Our guys did a great job of playing together and fighting for each other,” said UAPB head coach Solomon Bozeman about the team’s unselfishness.

Forcing an ASU missed jumper the following play, Vargas crashed the glass for an outlet pass to Doolittle in transition, where he utilized his court vision to find an open lane to the basket for an easy layup and hopped to the other end of the court with smiles after taking the lead over the Hornets 14-12.

Doolittle’s patience was outstanding against ASU. He didn’t force any opportunities at all, but instead, he would let the opportunity present itself at the correct times and take advantage of them. Ripping the ball through the defense to penetrate the basket, Doolittle drew the defense to him the paint because of the threat he made himself to be. He took an extra dribble and caused the defense to gamble, which led to a wide-open layup.

With the energy at an all-time high, the Golden Lions would close out the first half in a fashionable manner. Brown grabbed the rebound off a Hornet free throw miss and walked the ball up the floor with 19 seconds left. Bozeman demanded the ball go to Williams in the last seconds to go one-on-one against ASU. Williams drove hard to his right and snatched the ball between his legs, going into a step-back motion, firing from deep over the Alabama State defender to sink the shot and beat the buzzer to lead 33-27 at the half.

The Golden Lions read the defense exceptionally well in the second half, noticing that Alabama State wouldn’t play tight defense in the paint. Milton, Morris, and Doolittle did a great job using the floater when the Hornets laid off in the paint.

Williams began to catch fire for Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the second half, knocking down two NBA range three-pointers to get eight points ahead of Alabama State to continue to rise to the bar.

When ASU tried to close the deficit, the Golden Lions did an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line where makes and misses count when they’re needed. Milton made his way to the line five times on the night and knocked down seven of his nine attempts to come up big in the clutch.

With things winding down in the end, Morris would seal the deal soaring through the air, grabbing the rebound off a missed Williams three-pointer for a vicious putback jam, securing the victory over Alabama State 75-70.

“I love this group of guys and the way we just gave our all and fought hard for each other to the end,” said Bozeman about the vital win over Alabama State.

The Golden Lions will top their Alabama tour as they face Alabama A&M on the road at 7:30 p.m. in doubleheader action.