Arkansas-Fort Smith guard shines in return from injury
FORT SMITH —It had been 628 days since University of Arkansas-Fort Smith guard Payton Brown played a game at the Stubblefield Center.
He wasted no time Thursday making an impact.
The Waldron native scored the initial eight points for UAFS and finished with a game-high 16 to lead the way in a 68-51 victory against the University of the Ozarks.
“I just came out and was trying to get the groove going here,” Brown said. “We had a really good crowd turnout. I wanted to be electrified off that energy and get it going early. I was really looking forward to getting back here and seeing everybody who watched me growing up in high school.”
Brown transferred away from UAFS after leading the team in scoring in 2020, but returned for this season after missing all of last year with an injury.
UAFS (1-2) jumped out to an early 10-0 lead with Brown accounting for eight of those points. He hit a long outside shot and even drew a charge on defense to get a stop during that stretch.
Ozarks (3-1) was able to use a 12-4 run in the first half to cut UAFS’ lead to just 14-12 with a three-point basket from Oscar Traylor. The Lions then clamped down on defense allowing just seven points after that. That allowed UAFS to build a 37-19 edge heading into the break.
“I thought that eight to 10 minute period was the best defense we have played all season long,” UAFS Coach Jim Boone said. “It’s still early in the year. But that was the best we have played. We talked about it at halftime we were really proud of that. We want to build on that stretch.”
Transfer forward Jaxon Ingram, who finished with 11 points, was a key part of the offense when UAFS was extending its edge late in the first half. He scored four of five baskets during a stretch that gave the Lions a 29-17 advantage.
“He is understanding how to play within our system with new teammates,” Boone said. “He is learning to play at the pace at this level of play. He is doing fantastic. He just continues to keep building on his season.”
Brown closed out the first-half scoring with backto-back three-point baskets and received a big cheer from the crowd.
After consecutive losses to open the season, UAFS got its first win of the year in its home opener.
“It’s always good to get the first win,” Brown said “Coach Boone wrote the number one on the board. It’s the first of many more to come. We want to keep climbing.”
The Lions were very balanced in the second half to maintain control of the game. Nine different players scored points with Connor Slater and Drew Miller (Rogers) scoring a team-best six points after the break. The crowd went wild when Slater delivered a dunk to give UAFS a 65-42 lead late in the second half.
Ozarks was guided by Dillon Cheater who scored a team-high 12 points off the bench. He provided a big spark, scoring seven consecutive points to cut UAFS’ lead to 11-9 early in the game. The Eagles had 14 different players score.
This meeting was the third ever between the two schools separated by just 58 miles.
“This isn’t the shortest drive we will have this year, but we love to come here,” Ozarks Coach Matt Bolton said. “It’s great. The atmosphere is special and I love going against Coach Boone, who is a great guy. This is just a great opportunity for us when we play here.”