COLLEGE PARK, Ga. – No. 2 seed Alcorn Women's Basketball will face off against No. 7 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Pepsi Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament presented by Buick when the Braves open their tournament run Wednesday, March 11, at 5:30 p.m. (EST) at The Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia.
 
The last time these two teams met in the SWAC Tournament, current Alcorn Head Coach Nate Kilbert was leading the UAPB charge at the helm as his Golden Lions side defeated the Braves 50-46 in Garland, Texas. Kilbert was also honored as SWAC Coach of the Year that same season in 2013.
 
What: Game Thirty
Who: #2 Alcorn (17-12) vs. #7 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-15)
When: Wednesday, March 11, at 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: College Park, Ga. – Gateway Center Arena (3,500)
 
Watch: ESPN+
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
Listen Live: WPRL-FM 91.7
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Arkansas-Pine Bluff is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Alcorn Women's Basketball this season by following the Braves social media platforms. You can follow @BravesSports on X/Twitter and @AlcornSports on Instagram.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ With the No. 2 seed in the SWAC Tournament, Alcorn has its highest seeding in two decades entering the postseason.
▪ Nakia Cheatham was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the regular season, having also registered more than 1,000 points in her Braves career.
▪ Maya Hunkin-Claytor set the single season school record for three-pointers made in a single season in her last outing against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. She has connected on 71 total, and connects at a 34.6 percent clip from beyond the arc.
▪ Alcorn averages 57.2 points per game, but shoots at a 37.1 percent clip overall from the field.
▪ The Purple and Gold have won four of their last five games, but dropped both outings against UAPB on the campaign.
▪ The Braves are handing out 13.7 assists per game, led by Kiarra Henderson with 128 under her belt.
▪ Cheatham ended the regular season with eight double-doubles and 23 games pouring in double figures in points. She currently ranks sixth in the SWAC in scoring with an average of 13 points per game (377 pts), third in rebounds with 7.5 per game (217 rebs) and third in blocked shots with 30. She also sits atop the league in steals (68).
▪ Henderson is averaging 9.9 ppg having poured in 288 points on the year. She also pulls down 6.2 rebounds per game from her guard position on the court.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Maya Hunkin-Claytor registered a team-high 18 points and set the new Alcorn single-season record for three-pointers made, as the Braves dropped a 66-61 SWAC Women's Basketball contest to Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
Alcorn was chasing history to become just the second team in Braves Women's Basketball history to turn in a 15-win SWAC season. However, the 14 league wins matches the 2004-05 Braves squad.
 
• Maya Hunkin-Claytor paced the Braves with 18 points, knocking down a game-high six (6) three-pointers.
• Kiarra Henderson finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, finishing the night 7 of 11 shooting from the field.
• Nakia Cheatham contributed 15 points and eight rebounds in her final game inside Davey L. Whitney Complex.
• Iyekekpolor knocked down a three-pointer in the game to finish 1-for-2 from long range.
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff led for a majority of the game and built a double-digit advantage late in the fourth quarter before Alcorn mounted a late rally, outscoring the Golden Lions 21–16 in the final period.
• Alcorn outrebounded Arkansas-Pine Bluff 42–34 and closed the gap late with a strong fourth-quarter surge.
• The Braves trimmed the deficit but could not overcome the early gap.
• UAPB jumped ahead early, taking an 18–13 lead after the first quarter and extending the margin to 33–25 at halftime behind balanced scoring and strong rebounding in the paint.
• Indiya Bowen scored a game-high 26 points, hitting 5 of 11 from three-point range and adding four assists and four steals to her stat line.
• UAPB's Jailah Pelly added 15 points, including several transition baskets off turnovers.
• The visitors never used a substitution in the second half.
• UAPB was also powered by Khaniah Gardner who recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, finishing a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the floor on the night.
• The Golden Lions pushed their lead to 13 points midway through the fourth quarter – the largest lead by the guests on the night.
• UAPB created separation with a scoring burst spanning the first half and early second half, highlighted by Bowen's perimeter shooting and transition points generated off turnovers.
• As a team, the Braves shot 41.3 percent from the field, while UAPB shot 20 free throws compared to the Braves' 10.
 
ALCORN VS. UAPB SERIES
▪ The last time these two sides met in the SWAC Tournament, UAPB claimed a 50-46 win back on March 12, 2013, in Garland, Texas. The head coach of the Golden Lions that season – Nate Kilbert.
▪ Alcorn leads the all-time series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a count of 17-15 dating back to 2011.
▪ UAPB swept the season series from the Braves this year, including a 66-61 decision in Lorman as the regular season finale for both teams on March 5.
▪ Prior to the consecutive losses, Alcorn had won three on the spin against the Golden Lions.
▪ The Braves lost five consecutive against the Golden Lions from 2021-2023, respectfully.
 
SCOUTING UAPB
▪ The Golden Lions average 60.4 points per game overall, but a much more competitive 64.2 PPG against league opposition.
▪ UAPB has won eight of its last 10 games, a hard-fought win over Mississippi Valley State in the second round of the SWAC Tournament on Tuesday evening.
▪ Indiya Bowen is the team's leading scorer and engine of the offense with 14.9 ppg; bumps up to 16.4 PPG in conference play. She is also the team's top perimeter threat with 59 three-pointers made.
▪ Jailah Pelly is connecting on 42.2 percent of her shots from the field and leads the team in assists.
▪ Free throw shooting (57.5%) remains a weakness for the Golden Lions.
▪ Arguably the most efficient player on the team, Khaniah Gardner shoots a remarkable 54.5 percent from the field overall and surges to 61.5 percent against SWAC foes, plus a team-best 6.4 boards per game to boot.
▪ Briontanay Marshall is UAPB's blue-collar contributor, so to speak, who starts every game. Her rebounding and defensive presence (13 blocks) gives UAPB toughness in the paint.
 
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