UAPB Women’s Hoops: Lady Lions Come Up Short In SWAC Semifinals Against Jackson St.

BIRMINGHAM, AL —Kaila Walker and Zaay Green combined to score 34 total points, but the Golden Lions fell to the Jackson State Tigers 70-48 at Bartow Arena Friday in the Southwestern Athletics Conference Semifinals. This is the second consecutive year the program advanced to the conference semifinals.

The Golden Lions had two players score in double figures, led by Walker, who had 19 points and six rebounds. Green tacked on 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Maya Peat added five points and seven rebounds.

Led by Peat’s three offensive rebounds, UAPB did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 13 boards that resulted in six second chance points.

UAPB’s defense held Jackson State to only 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 33.8 percent from the field.

How It Happened

After falling behind 11-3, UAPB went on a 5-0 run with 3:45 left in the first quarter to narrow its deficit to 11-8. Jackson State answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Golden Lions down 17-10 entering the second quarter.

The Golden Lions continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 38-20 halftime deficit.

Jackson State continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 42-21 advantage before UAPB went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Peat, to trim its deficit to 42-28 with 6:13 to go in the third. Jackson State countered and stretched its lead to 51-34 heading into the fourth. UAPB knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 14 total points.

Jackson State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 65-41 advantage before UAPB went on a 5-0 run to shrink the deficit to 65-46 with 2:37 to go in the contest. Jackson State responded and outscored the Golden Lions the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 70-48. UAPB got up and down the court quickly in the quarter, scoring seven fast break points.

Game Notes

» UAPB cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Kaila Walker led the Golden Lions with 19 points.
» UAPB got a team-high 9 rebounds from Zaay Green.
» Despite losing in the semifinals, UAPB women’s basketball had a remarkable season.
»  They achieved their first overall winning season, beat the University of Arkansas and SMU, all in the same year, for the first time in the program’s history.
» Made the SWAC highest seed in tournament play since being in the SWAC
» Lady Lions finished with three student-athletes to place on the All-SWAC team (Zaay Green, Coriah Beck, and Maya Peat)
» UAPB Lady Lions finished ahead of a Big Ten school (Northwestern St.) in NET rankings.