As the calendar has turned to January amid the hope of a new year, the first of the year also means Southwestern Athletic Conference basketball play has arrived.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women's and men's basketball teams open league play today in a doubleheader against Mississippi Valley State at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
The women's game will tip off at 2 p.m., and the men's game at 5 p.m. Limited seating capacity is available in the H.O. Clemmons Arena, with tickets available for purchase online at uapblionsroar.com/tickets. Fans are required to wear masks, and temperature checks will be conducted.
All home games will be video streamed free online at uapblionsroar.com/live and on the free UAPB Athletics App for android and iPhone devices. A live radio broadcast also will be available on 99.3 FM The Beat, online at uapblionsroar.com/live, and on the free UAPB Athletics App.
Women's basketball (1-5) played its final nonconference game Tuesday at Oklahoma. After a slow start, the Golden Lions outscored the Sooners over the last seven minutes of the first period. However, a cold-shooting second quarter allowed the Sooners to take control and pull away for the win.
Tyler Pyburn and Kaila Walker each scored 13 points for UAPB, as Walker scored in double figures for the fifth straight game while also adding four assists and four steals. Khadijah Brown added 11 points and eight rebounds. Joyce Kennerson also added 11 points with seven rebounds.
Walker is one of three UAPB players in the Top 15 in the SWAC in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg (10th), ahead of teammates Brown (13.5 ppg/ 11th) and Kennerson (12.3 ppg/t-13th). Brown is also third in rebounds in the league (9.8 rpg).
Mississippi Valley State (2-2) has posted wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State. Zakiya Mahoney leads MVSU in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg), ranking sixth and second, respectively, in the SWAC.
The Lady Lions swept the season series last year from the Devilettes, winning 80-77 on the road on Jan. 4 and 81-59 in the home regular-season finale on March 7.
The Golden Lion men (1-8) will play their first game since a loss at second-ranked Baylor on Dec. 21. Shaun Doss posted his fourth 20-point scoring game of the season and his first career double-double with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. Doss leads UAPB and is third in the SWAC in scoring at 16.8 points per game and has scored in double figures in seven of nine contests this season.
Doss has also posted back-to-back 10-rebound games and is eighth in the SWAC in rebounds at 5.8 rpg, ahead of teammates Dequan Morris (5.7 rpg/9th) and Markedric Bell (5.2 rpg/t-14th).
The Delta Devils (0-8) have faced Arkansas, North Texas, Memphis and Mississippi State among its nonconference schedule. Kam'Ron Cunningham leads MVSU and is eighth in the SWAC in scoring at 12.9 ppg.
The teams split the two regular season meetings last year, each winning on the other's home court. UAPB won at Valley 80-76 on Jan. 4 behind a career-high 33 points from Bell. The Delta Devils turned the tables in Pine Bluff, making a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to win 74-71.