UAPB’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will play their first Southwestern Athletic Conference road games of the season starting today at Southern University in Baton Rouge.
Tipoff times are 2 p.m. for the women and 4:30 p.m. for the men. The Lady Lions and Golden Lions then will visit Alcorn State in Lorman, Miss., for Monday contests starting at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
The UAPB Sports Network radio broadcast begins 15 minutes before each women’s game on 99.3 FM The Beat, online at uapblionsroar.com/live and on the free UAPB Athletics App.
WOMEN’S TEAM
The Lady Lions (2-7, 1-2 SWAC) will look to bounce back after home losses to Alabama State (87-79) and Alabama A&M (57-47) this past week. Khadijah Brown has posted double-doubles in three straight games and five times this season. Brown is coming off a 12-point, 10-rebound game Monday against the Bulldogs, and Nissa Sam-Grant blocked a career-high eight shots in a strong UAPB defensive effort.
Brown enters the weekend 11th in the SWAC in scoring (13.7 points per game), second in rebounds (10.6 per game), second in blocks (2.1 per game), seventh in field-goal percentage (40.7%) and ninth in free-throw percentage (72.2%). Kaila Walker has scored in double figures six times this season, and is 13th in SWAC in scoring (13.0 ppg), tied for eighth in assists (2.8 per game), fifth in free throw percentage (79.6%) and seventh in minutes (32.6 per game). Sam-Grant is tied for 11th in SWAC in rebounding (5.7 per game) and is second in blocks (2.4 per game).
Southern (1-8, 1-2) opened SWAC play with a home win over Prairie View A&M (51-44) before a road loss at Grambling (67-64). Genovea Johnson leads Southern in scoring (13.5 ppg/12th in SWAC), with Raven White the leader in rebounding (5.7 per game/ tied for 11th in SWAC).
MEN’S TEAM
On the men’s side, led by two-time SWAC Player of the Week Shaun Doss Jr., UAPB is unbeaten in SWAC play (3-8, 2-0), scoring 90 or more points in wins over Mississippi Valley State (92-52) and Alabama State (91-82). In league play, the Golden Lions are averaging 91.5 points per game, shooting 53.9 percent on field goals, 38.9% on three-pointers, and 75 percent on free throws, and are averaging 19.5 assists per game.
Doss earned his second-consecutive SWAC honor after recording his third-straight double-double with a career-high 31 points with 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks against the Hornets. In the last three games. Doss is averaging 26.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks.
On the season, Doss is third in the SWAC in scoring (18.4 ppg), fifth in rebounds (6.8 rpg), 10th in made 3s per game (1.6), tied for 16th in assists (1.7 apg), tied for 11th in blocks (0.7 bpg), ninth in field-goal percentage (39%), 14th in FT% (66.2%), and third in minutes (35.7).
Southern (1-4, 1-0) opened SWAC play with a Saturday night win at Grambling (61-55). Three of their scheduled league contests have been postponed. Damiree Burns and Jayden Saddler each lead Southern in scoring (11.0 points per game) and are also the top rebounders (Saddler 6.3 per game, Burns 5.5 per game).