UAPB to face MVSU at home
For the first time this year, Mississippi Valley State is coming off a victory.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team hosts MVSU for senior night at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at H.O. Clemmons Arena, and the Delta Devils have reason to bring some extra confidence to Pine Bluff.
MVSU (1-27, 1-14 SWAC) defeated Prairie View A&M 57-51 in Itta Bena, Miss., this past Monday, the Delta Devils’ first win since beating UAPB 78-74 on Feb. 25, 2023. A small contingent of fans rushed the court, and clips of the MVSU play-byplay crew’s reactions were shared across social media.
Now, the reenergized Delta Devils come to Pine Bluff. UAPB coach Solomon Bozeman said MVSU is better than its record suggests.
“I think Coach [George Ivory] has done a great job of continuing to have those guys fight,” Bozeman said. “Especially when you got a team that’s lost as much as they lost, man, he’s done a great job of having them come in every day and continue to fight. They’ve been in close games, so we’re taking that game serious. It’s a game that we need.”
Although MVSU hadn’t won this season until Monday, the Delta Devils had some close games. They lost 54-51 to Alabama State and 78-70 to Alabama A&M in the SWAC’s opening weekend. Current SWAC leader Grambling State defeated the Devils 54-46 in Louisiana, and UAPB escaped Valley with an 83-77 win on Feb. 3.
Since the start of conference play, MVSU guard Rayquan Brown has led the SWAC with 20.3 points per game. He scored 21 in Monday’s win. UAPB held him to 14 points last month.
Bozeman said Brown is a three-level scorer.
“He’s big,” Bozeman said. “He’s strong. He can score in the post, score in the elbow. Nice face-up game, and then he can step out and shoot the 3.”
UAPB (12-16, 7-8) has lost five of the seven games it has played since beating MVSU on the road. In the two most recent losses to Texas Southern and Ala
bama A&M, the Golden Lions have led but couldn’t hold on after stretches of cold shooting.
They led Texas Southern by as much as 51-40 in the second half, but the Tigers used a 16-0 run in the final 8 minutes to come from behind and deny UAPB what would have been a second straight win.
UAPB guard Trejon Ware said if the Golden Lions get a big lead, they must stay focused on the game plan.
“Just continue to make the right play, make the right next play,” Ware said. “Just continue to share the ball as a team like we’ve been doing, and we’ll just find a way to get the job done.”
The Golden Lions remain in a heated battle for a spot in the SWAC tournament with two weeks remaining in the regular season. UAPB is tied with Alabama A&M and Alabama State for seventh place, one game behind Jackson State.
UAPB hasn’t made the tournament since 2021. Ware said it would be special to make it to Birmingham, Ala., this year, and that starts with a win Saturday.
“It’s very important we get the job done this weekend,” Ware said. “Because this probably be the first time in a long time that we make the tournament, so this is gonna be critical this weekend.”