Daeja Holmes and Taniya Lawson combined for 43 points as the Texas Southern women's basketball team won its Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) home opener on Saturday evening.
Texas Southern (3-11 Overall, 2-1 SWAC) won its second conference game in a row as Holmes paced the offense with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while adding six boards and five assists. Lawson followed up with a season-high 20 points, and Jaida Belton chipped in 14 points, seven boards, and four blocks.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-9, 2-1) was paced by Maya Peat who registered 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added eight boards.
Holmes came in hot with two back-to-back threes to open play. The game stayed fairly close the entire time as the Golden Lions were up 19-18 by the end of the first.
UAPB led by as many as eight points, (39-31) with 3:10 remaining in the second after a layup by Demetria Shepard, but the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit before UAPB closed out the first half with a layup by Peat as they led, 41-38.
The game was as close as an 80-point tie with 1:39 remaining. Texas Southern won the game at the charity stripe as Lawson went to the twice after being fouled by Jelissa Reese. Shomari Phillips closed out with a pair of free-throws.
Up Next
Texas Southern will remain home as they take on Mississippi Valley on Monday, Jan. 15 with a 12 p.m. tip-off.
