LOMAN, Miss. — Arkansas-Pine Bluff dominated Alcorn State 83-48 Thursday night in the regular-season finale for both teams in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Alcorn State (8-22, 7-11 SWAC) will enter the SWAC tournament as the No. 11 seed and faces No. 10 seed Alabama State in the opening round. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13-18, 10-8) finished in a four-way tie for fifth place with Alabama A&M, Jackson State, and Texas Southern.
It was Senior Night for Alcorn, which paid tribute to seniors Omari Hamilton, Travis Roberts, and Nick Woodard before the game. Tycen McDaniels led all scorers with 16 points and added nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double. Shane Lancaster dished out five assists and recorded two steals. Hamilton scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff took control early, building a 37-19 halftime lead and never looked back. The Golden Lions shot 52.3% from the floor and scored 58 points in the paint. They forced 17 turnovers, converting 19 points off those miscues.
Quion Williams led UAPB with 18 points and 13 rebounds, also adding five assists, three steals, and two blocks. Jaquan Scott scored 17 points with seven rebounds, while Milhan Charles shot 7-for-8 for 15 points. Trevon Payton contributed 13 points and a game-high seven assists, helping UAPB record 21 assists on 34 made field goals.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff extended its lead with a decisive run in the first half and led by as many as 38 points late in the second. The Braves struggled offensively, shooting 32.1% from the field and just 12.5% from three-point range. They ended the game shooting 24.1% overall and 1-for-8 from long distance.
Alcorn State will compete in the SWAC tournament March 9-14 at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. The team faces Alabama State at 2 p.m. on March 9. Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for updates and behind-the-scenes coverage.
