PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Michael Griffin’s desperation three-pointer with the shot clock winding down in the game’s final minute allowed Prairie View A&M to hold off Arkansas-Pine Bluff 59-53 on Monday.
Griffin’s three-pointer, which he made after wrestling a loose ball from UAPB’s Gavin Montgomery on the perimeter, gave the Panthers (8-19, 5-9) a 55-49 lead with 38.3 seconds remaining.
The Golden Lions, who also had 18 turnovers, made just 8 of 19 free throws and missed their final four attempts in the final three minutes.
Savalace Townsend and Terrell Kennedy led UAPB ( 6-21, 6-9) with 10 points, while leading-scorer Allen Smith, who entered averaging 12.6points, finished with just 3 points on 1 of 10 shooting.
Townsend and Smith combined to miss all six of their free throw attempts.
UAPB, which beat Prairie View in double-overtime last month in Pine Bluff, trailed 30-28 at halftime but led 35-31 less than four minutes into the second half.
SWAC WOMEN PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 99, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 38
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas - Arkansas-Pine Bluff made just 21 percent of its shots in losing its ninth consecutive game.
Prairie View A&M (15-10, 11-3) jumped to a 12-0 lead and UAPB (1-25, 1-14) never trimmed the lead to below 10 points while falling to a 43-13 deficit at halftime.
The Lady Lions missed their first 16 shots from the field and didn’t make a basket until Chi Chi Okwumabua’s layup with 6:23 left made it 24-7.
Okwumabua led UAPB with 13 points, while LaQuisha Slaton, who scored 30 points in a loss at Texas Southern on Saturday, was held to 7 on 2 of 12 shooting.
Sports, Pages 19 on 02/22/2011