LORMAN &045; With three games looming over the weekend, the Braves could have really used a nice sendoff like a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

They got it, despite a poor shooting performance, shooting just 36.0 percent from the floor for the game.

Fortunately for the Braves, the Golden Lions were similarly incapable of putting the ball through the hoop, hitting just 34.7 percent of their shots. Both teams might as well have been allergic to making baskets.

What the game lacked in scoring, it did make up for in suspense. Neither team led by more than six in the second half until Alcorn took a 47-40 lead with 3:00 minutes remaining.

Alcorn finally overcame its scoring difficulties in a 13-4 run that gave it that lead and ultimately the win.

Alcorn (4-12, 3-3) beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-11, 1-4) 53-45 Monday despite scoring its lowest point total during Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

Alcorn head coach Samuel West said he was pleased with the win, despite the poor shooting.

&uot;That’s a good win,&uot; West said. &uot;We had 27 turnovers the other night (against Mississippi Valley State), so compared to that, it’s a good win.&uot;

Alcorn’s Fred Cole hit a 3-point shot with 4:52 remaining in the game that gave Alcorn the lead for good at 42-39, but it wasn’t a sure thing until the final minute.

Down 48-43 with 1:27 left to go, Pine Bluff’s Tamarius Brown missed a lay up. Alcorn’s Delvin Thompson hit one of two free throws to make the lead 49-43. Pine Bluff missed a 3-pointer that would have pulled them within a basket, but William Byrd put in the rebound to make it 49-45. Byrd finished the game with 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Pine Bluff fouled DeAndre Jones with 16.2 seconds to go, and Jones hit both free throws, making it a six-point game and all but ending the contest.

Pine Bluff missed two attempts on the ensuing possession, and Alcorn’s Alleo Frazier hit both his free throws to effectively end the game with 3.4 seconds left.

The main difference down the stretch was that Alcorn’s shots went in. Throughout the game, the Braves had been running their offense well, a change from earlier this season, and getting open looks. They just didn’t hit many of them in the first half.

&uot;We just had to keep playing and running our offense,&uot; Alcorn’s Delvin Thompson said. &uot;We just had to keep shooting, and finally we started knocking down some shots.&uot;

The Golden Lions had taken the lead for the first time in the second half with 12:26 left to go in the game on Martese Coleman’s fast-break layup. Seconds later, Coleman stole an Alcorn pass and scored another layup, making the score 32-29 with 12:06 to play.

Thompson retook the lead for the Braves with a 3-pointer that made the score 33-32 with 9:37 remaining. Pine Bluff tied the game at 34 with Julian Harris’ free throws at the 8:37 mark.

DeAndre Jones missed a chance to extend the Braves’ lead, missing both of his free throws with 8:11 to go. Coleman made both of his at the 6:33 mark to give Pine Bluff a two-point lead.

Alcorn’s Frazier hit a triple to give Alcorn a 37-36 lead. Byrd hit a shot with 5:54 to go to pull Pine Bluff ahead, but Fred Cole’s 3-pointer for the Braves made the lead 42-39, setting up the crazy finish to the game.

After trailing for most of the first half, the Braves took a 21-18 lead and some well-deserved confidence into halftime. They held Pine Bluff scoreless in the final 6:08 of the first half and went on an 8-0 run during that time to take the lead.

&uot;I went to the bench to get some starters rest,

and their bench outscored us 11-2,&uot; UAPB head coach Van Holt said. &uot;The lead was right in that range for the rest of the game.&uot;

Alcorn forward Almaad Jackson sat out the game with an Achilles’ tendon injury. The injury has plagued him all season but worsened during Saturday’s game.