UAPB WOMEN HOOPS Announce 2021-2022 Regular Season Schedule

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With less than two months away from the first tip-off of the 2021-2022 campaign, head coach Dawn Thornton and the company anticipates what should be an exciting season for UAPB.

Thornton enters her third season with the program and expects to take the excitement of the team’s play to a higher level.

“We tackled the offseason very well these past few months,” head coach Thornton said. “We brought in some players that I think will bring excitement to the university, fans, and the community as a whole. There are so many new faces, and they all come ready to work.”

The Lady Lions open the season at H.O. Clemmons Arena, as they will host McNeese State (Nov. 9).

UAPB will then hit the road to face in-state program’s Arkansas (Nov. 12) and Little Rock (Nov. 16).

Near the Thanksgiving holidays, Lady Lions will play in a tournament at the University of Southern Mississippi, facing Southern Miss (Nov. 26) and Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 27).

After the final home non-conference game against Arkansas Baptist (Nov. 29), UAPB will travel to Miami, Fla. (Dec. 3-4) to play in their second tournament in back-to-back weeks.

“We strategically scheduled non-conference around in-state competition,” Thornton said. “With the rise of HBCU’s getting the notoriety they deserve, we want to display our brand. Recruits are interested in our program, and competing with the in-state rivals will be key for in-state recruitment. We have a few players on the team from Florida. The tournament in Miami allows them to play closer to home and family, as promised.”

The Lady Lion will wrap up their non-conference slate near the end of December with Univ. Alabama-Birmingham (12/15), Central Arkansas (12/21), and Southern Methodist Univ. (12/28), all on the road.

UAPB transitions into conference play after the new year with Alabama A&M (1/3) and Alabama State (1/5) coming to town. Following those games, the Lady Lions travel to Texas to face Texas Southern (1/8) and Prairie View (1/10), before returning to H.O. Clemmons to meet Florida A&M (1/15) and Bethune Cookman (1/17).

Near the midway point of conference play, the Lady Lions go on a three-game road trip to Southern (1/22), Grambling State (1/24), and Mississippi Valley State (1/29). Alcorn State (2/5) then visits UAPB before the defending SWAC champions Jackson State (2/7) arrives.

“You have to give credit to Jackson State’s head coach and program,” said coach Thornton about conference play. “They’re the team to beat and everyone knows that, but to be the best, you have to beat the best. There’s a lot of talent in this conference. I feel like each team will have all cards laid out on the table, and whoever has the best hand on that night will win.”

Three of the final seven regular-season games will be at home, and following the season will be the SWAC championships in Birmingham, Ala. from March 9 to March 12.