Mississippi Valley State will have plenty of time to steam over letting this one slip away.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff center Terrell Kennedy hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime — where then Golden Lions won 78-70 Thursday night in Itta Bena in Valley’s final game of the season.
“It’s a tough way to end things, but we just didn’t make enough free throws,” said first-year Valley coach Chico Potts, whose team hit 26 of 39 from the foul line (67 percent). “I told our guys that this isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning. We are about to go to work getting to know each other better, working on our skill sets and bringing in recruits so we can turn this thing around.”
Valley ends the season at 5-23 overall, 5-13 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The Golden Lions (16-14, 15-3) trailed 65-62 after MVSU’s Cortland Henry made one of two foul shots with 7 seconds left in regulation, but Kennedy drained the 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
Valley’s Cameron Dobbs missed two free throws with 36 seconds left in overtime that would have tied the game at 72. UAPB then hit 7 of 8 from the charity stripe to put the game away.
The win was the Golden Lions’ fourth straight — as Tevin Hammond hit a game-winning 3-pointer in a 73-72 win over Jackson State on Feb. 25.
Kennedy and Davon Haynes had 15 points each to lead UAPB.
The teams exchanged the lead 14 times, including seven times in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Valley’s Davon Usher, the SWAC’s leading scorer, had an off shooting night, hitting just 4 of 18 from the field, including 2-12 from 3-point range. He still managed to finish with a game-high 17 points by going 7 of 9 from the foul line.
Darryl Marshall and Marcus Johnson each added 12 for the Delta Devils.
MVSU shot just 31 percent (18 of 58), including 8 of 33 from 3-point range.
Even tough it was a tough season, Potts is excited about the future of his program because Valley didn’t have a single senior on its roster this season.
“There is no doubt the future is bright for this group of guys,” he said.
• Women: The Devilettes (15-14, 12-6 SWAC) were dealt a 63-51 loss by Arkansas Pine Bluff (11-17, 7-11 SWAC) in the final game of the regular season.
The Lady Lions, led by former MVSU coach Nate Kilbert, outscored Valley 38-29 in the second half and limited the Devilettes to just 35.6 percent shooting on the night.
Khristina Clemons led Valley with a career-high 21 points.
Alia Frank added nine points and three blocks for the Devilettes, while Joncyee Sanders chipped in eight points and six assists.
The MVSU women will next play in the SWAC Tournament, which is set for March 12-16 in Garland, Texas.
• Contact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
