The Lions played NCAA Division I foes Saint Louis University and Nebraska in exhibition play and will play four Division I opponents during the third annual Legends Classic, which began on Wednesday at four regional sites throughout the country.

UA Fort Smith will play host University of Massachusetts at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass., in its classic opener.

The game will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com. There also will be updates throughout the Lions’ road trip on Twitter at www.twitter.com/UAFSSports.

Well, it’s not a road trip, per se, for the Lions. The team flew to Massachusetts for Saturday’s game – a first for the men’s basketball program.

“I think there will be a sense of excitement,” Newman said. “This year is all about firsts, and this will be the first time we board a plane to play a basketball game.”

UA Fort Smith will conclude classic play on Nov. 27-29 when it plays Troy, Georgia Southern and Valparaiso at Statesboro, Ga.

Florida, Michigan State, Drexel, Toledo, Cornell, Vermont and Rutgers round out the 12-team field. Regional hosts UMass, Florida, Michigan State and Rutgers will automatically advance to the championship rounds, while the remaining teams will compete in sub-regional games.

UA Fort Smith is the only non-Division I team in the classic.

“I think it’s a great honor for our university, our community and our basketball program. Participating in the Legends Classic will give us instant creditability on a national stage,” Newman said. “We are still going to be the little guy trying to knock off Goliath, but that’s why you play the game. We are going to prepare our team and put them in the best possible situation to win the game.”

UA Fort Smith won its season opener on Tuesday, beating Division III University of the Ozarks 87-65 at the Stubblefield Center. Junior guard Josh Simmons of Houston, Texas, led the Lions with a career-high 28 points, while junior forward Chris Williams of Lebanon, Ill., had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Newman was pleased with the Lions’ offensive performance against the Eagles, but their defensive technique wasn’t quite on the level it was for the previous two exhibition games. The Lions allowed 65 points, and four Eagles scored in double-figures.

“We really focused on our defensive techniques. I think our effort has been really good, but our technique has gone backwards. We talked about moving our feet and guarding without fouling,” said Newman, who is in his fourth season at UA Fort Smith.

UMass coach Derek Kellogg enters his second season at the helm of his alma mater. Kellogg welcomes back high-scoring All-Atlantic selection Ricky Harris and versatile guard Anthony Gurley to go along with a horde of newcomers.

UMass has seven new players in uniform this season, headed by one of the top recruiting classes in the nation with five-super talented freshmen. The Minutemen have several top 100 recruits, highlighted by swingman Terrell Vinson out of Baltimore, Md. Joining Vinson is dynamic scoring guard Freddie Riley out of Ocala, Fla.

Also expected to make an immediate impact are gritty, aggressive swingman Javorn Farrell from Upper Marlboro, Md., along with forwards Sampson Carter out of Memphis, Tenn., and Raphiael Putney from Woodbridge, Va.

Yet, the Minutemen are winless with losses to Central Florida (84-67) in the season opener last Friday and Cornell (74-61) on Wednesday in the first game of the Legends Classic.

Harris has led the Minutemen in scoring in both losses and is averaging 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Vinson and sophomore forward Sean Carter have led the Minutemen in rebounding and are each averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.

“I think they need a win in the worst way, and they are looking at our game as the game to get them that first victory. I don’t think they will take us lightly at all,” Newman said. “I’m sure we are going to get their best shot right from the tip. I honestly wish they were 2-0.”

Junior Josh Simmons scored a career-high 28 points and junior Chris Williams had a double-double as the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lions pulled away down the stretch to beat the University of the Ozarks 87-65 on Tuesday night at the Stubblefield Center.

It was the official NCAA Division II opener for the Lions, who are provision D-II members this season after competing at the junior college level for 81 years. The Lions had played NCAA Division I foes Saint Louis and Nebraska in exhibition play prior to their season opener against the NCAA Division III Eagles.

Simmons, a 6-foot-4 guard from Houston, Texas, was 11-of-17 shooting from the field and was 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Simmons, who transferred from NCAA Division I Colorado State, also had a team-high six assists to go along with three steals and six rebounds.

Williams, a 6-5 junior forward from Lebanon, Ill., scored 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and had 11 rebounds. Williams, who transferred from Moberly Area Community College, helped the Lions out-rebound the Eagles 43-30.

The duo accounted for 17 of the Lions’ 32 shots. UA Fort Smith shot 54 percent (32 of 59) from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range (12 of 20).

Blake Mitchem, a 6-6 sophomore forward from Fort Smith, had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles (1-1). He had 34 points and 13 rebounds in the Eagles’ season-opening win against Hendrix College on Sunday.

Ozarks shot just 36 percent from the field (20 of 55) and 54 percent from 3-point range (7 of 13).

UA Fort Smith led 39-26 at halftime, and its lead never dipped below double-digits in the second half.

MEN

UA FORT SMITH 87, UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS 65

Ozarks 26 39 — 65

UA Fort Smith 39 48 — 87

Ozarks (1-1): Mitchem 20, Odom 12, Williams 12, McGinty 10, Woolverton 9, Raglin 2.

UA Fort Smith (1-0): Simmons 28, Williams 12, Henderson 11, McHenry 8, Neville 8, Clark 8, Mitchell 8, Jackson 2, Jeffs 2.

It’s a date fourth-year Lions coach Josh Newman has long awaited.

“This is truly an exciting time for our university and men’s basketball program. We’ve circled this date on our schedule since the transition was official,” Newman said. “We hope the community, faculty and student body will come out to support our team as we begin a new tradition.”

Tip-off will be 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and on the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com. There also will be live Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/UAFSSports.

UA Fort Smith will celebrate its D-II debut by recognizing players from the past who helped make the Lions basketball program such a success on the regional and national levels. Members of the men’s basketball teams from 1928-48 will be recognized at halftime.

Also, the UA Fort Smith Student-Athlete Advisory Council will be collecting coats and shoes as part of its “Bundle Up Fort Smith” campaign. Fans are asked to bring new or gently worn coats or shoes to the game, and the collected clothing will be distributed to needy families and individuals in the Fort Smith area.

UA Fort Smith, which is a provisional member of D-II and a member of the Heartland Conference, lost to Saint Louis University (79-51) and Nebraska (86-66) in exhibition play, but Newman said his young team accomplished a lot during those two tough road games.

“I think our team played extremely well with all the surrounding circumstances,” Newman said. “We had two goals that we wanted to achieve by playing our exhibition games – play harder than our opponent and improve with every opportunity. I believe we accomplished both those goals and are moving in the right direction.”

Newman has been pleasantly surprised with how the Lions have meshed together as a team, especially considering the number of new players in the program. The Lions have only one returning starter in junior guard LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., but he is academically ineligible until January.

The only other players who were in the program last year were freshman center Dean Neville of Melbourne, Australia, and freshman guard Michael Pharis of Van Buren, Ark., who redshirted last season.

However, the newcomers have been quick learners. Junior forward Josh Simmons of Houston, Texas, led the Lions in scoring with 11 points per game during the exhibition season, while junior guard Aaron McHenry of Fayetteville, Ark., led the team with five rebounds per game and junior guard Cedric Henderson of Houston, Texas, led the team with 3.5 assists per game.

Simmons is a NCAA Division I transfer from Colorado State University, McHenry is a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and Henderson is a transfer from Collin County Community College.

“With 15 new faces and 15 different personalities, I’m surprised to see how willing our team is to work and grow with each other,” Newman said. “Team chemistry is so important and this team has come together quicker than to be expected.”

The University of the Ozarks Eagles have a distinctive new look this season with only five returning players from last year’s team and a new head coach.

Doug Boxell takes the reins of the Eagles program from Matt O’Connor, who resigned after eight seasons. Boxell was a high school coach in Texas for 24 years during which time he won five state championships.

Only junior guard Andre Williams of San Antonio, Texas; sophomore guard DeMario Lyons of Wynne, Ark.; sophomore guard Jerard McGinty of Houston, Texas; sophomore forward Blake Mitchem of Fort Smith and sophomore guard Colby Woolverton of Sherwood, Ark., return for the Eagles, who finished 10-15 a year ago.

Williams is a two-year starter and is averaging a career 8.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while Woolverton was named to the American Southwest Conference East Division All-Freshman Team last season after averaging 6.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

The Eagles lost to NCAA Division I Houston Baptist University 99-48 in their only exhibition game and were in action on Sunday against Hendrix College.

The fourth-year Lions coach just challenged his players to continue to play hard and keep their up their defensive intensity just like they had against the Saint Louis University Billikens only a week earlier.

Apparently, the Lions were listening.

UA Fort Smith only trailed Nebraska by four points at halftime and stayed within striking distance of the Cornhuskers until midway through the second half before falling 86-66 to the Big 12 team in their exhibition opener at the Devaney Center.

“Again, I am very proud of these guys,” Newman said. “This is not an easy challenge, and they responded the right way.”

It was the last of two exhibition games against NCAA Division I foes for the Lions, who lost 79-51 at Saint Louis University on Oct. 20. UA Fort Smith will play four more Division I opponents as part of its regular-season schedule in the prestigious Legends Classic later this month.

The Lions will play at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass., on Nov. 21; and will play Troy University on Nov. 27, Georgia Southern University on Nov. 28 and Valparaiso University on Nov. 29 at Statesboro, Ga.

“I think everyone back home should be proud of this group,” Newman said. “It’s going to be an exciting year for us. I don’t know how good we are going to be, but as of right now, it looks like we have a chance to be a pretty good ballclub.”

It also was the Lions’ first-ever game against their former coach. Nebraska coach Doc Sadler served as an assistant coach twice at UA Fort Smith (formerly Westark College under former Lions coach Bobby Vint (1988-91) and former coach Charles Ripley (1997-98) and was Lions head coach and athletic director for five seasons (1998-2003).

Likewise, it was the first time Sadler and Lions coach Josh Newman matched wits as head coaches during their long relationship. Newman was a student manager at Arizona State University when Sadler was an assistant coach for then Sun Devils coach Bill Frieder and later was an assistant coach for Sadler for one season (1998-99) at UA Fort Smith.

UA Fort Smith held Nebraska to just 39 percent shooting (11 of 28) in the first half and hit at a sizzling 52 percent clip (15 of 29) from the field. The Lions led by as many as four points with just under nine minutes left in the first half and went into the locker room at halftime only down 43-39.

Much like against Saint Louis, the Lions’ thin bench became a factor in the second half.

Already whittled to only 10 players because of the injury to junior Jason Jackson of Dallas, Texas, against Saint Louis, the Lions’ bench dwindled to nine players at halftime after freshman Grant Clark of Houston, Texas, fouled out with 1:25 left in the half.

Clark had a career performance in barely a half of play, scoring a team-high 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Clark led four Lions in double-figures.

“Grant Clark played extremely well and hit some big shots,” Newman said. “He’s in the record book for fouling out in the first half. I’ve never had a player foul out in the first half.”

The Lions, who had five players with two or more fouls in the first half, then lost junior Chris Williams of Lebanon, Ill., with 13:16 left in the second half and played the remainder of the game with only eight players.

Nebraska found its shooting touch in the final 20 minutes, hitting 55 percent (16 of 29) from the field, and turned up its defense, holding the Lions to just 36 percent shooting (10 of 28). The Cornhuskers, who overmatched the Lions physically in the paint, took a 20 point lead with four minutes left.

Ryan Anderson led three Cornhuskers in double-figures with 18 points, while Brian Diaz had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Cornhuskers out-rebounded the Lions 48-26, accounting for 17 second-chance points.

Nebraska also hit 73 percent (30 of 41) from the free-throw line, and while UA Fort Smith didn’t have that many opportunities at the line (21 attempts), the Lions sank only 38 percent (8 of 21).

MEN

NEBRASKA 86, UA FORT SMITH 66

UA Fort Smith 39 27 — 66

Nebraska 43 43 — 86

UA Fort Smith: Clark 14, Henderson 12, Simmons 11, Neville 10, McHenry 8, Jeffs 7, Mitchell 4.

Nebraska: Anderson 18, Standhardinger 17, Diaz 11, Jeter 8, Ubel 7, Henry 6, Gallegos 5, Cole-Hankins 5, Holley 4, Richardson 3, Coleman 2.

UA Fort Smith’s SAAC will conduct its “Bundle Up Fort Smith” community service project on Nov. 17 when the UA Fort Smith men’s basketball team hosts the University of the Ozarks Eagles in its season opener at 7 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

Fans are encouraged to bring a coat, a pair of shoes or both with them to the game, and members of SAAC will be on hand to collect these clothing items at both entrances of the Stubblefield Center.

The clothing items collected will go to help those in need to stay warm this winter.

“With the winter season approaching, some people don’t have coats or jackets to stay warm or shoes to keep their feet warm,” said UA Fort Smith director of athletic compliance Will Collier, who is the SAAC sponsor. “This is an opportunity for our student-athletes to do something to help those in need in our community and help improve their quality of life.”

This project is a part of SAAC’s on-going community service project aimed at assisting those in need in the Fort Smith area. Earlier this month, SAAC members participated in a canned food drive to collect food for Thanksgiving food baskets for needy families in Fort Smith. The group visited 398 houses and collected 1,019 canned food items, as well as $110 in donations.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight of the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. It also is a public service organization and participates in various community service projects throughout the year.

A week after opening their exhibition season against the Saint Louis University Billikens, the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lions will make yet another lengthy road trip to play an even tougher, more-experienced foe in the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday in Lincoln, Neb.

Tip-off for this exhibition game will be at 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center. The game will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and on the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com. There will be Twitter updates throughout the Lions’ road trip at www.twitter.com/UAFSSports.

UA Fort Smith, which is a provisional member of NCAA Division II this season, lost to the Billikens 79-51, but fourth-year Lions coach Josh Newman came away from the loss with a positive feeling about his young team.

“For the most part, we played with them for 28 minutes,” said Newman, whose Lions only trailed 37-29 at halftime. “That’s not easy to do to walk into that environment with the excitement, the energy, the tension and all of those things combined. I thought out kids responded in a very positive manner, and I am so proud of them.”

Newman expects an even tougher encounter with the Cornhuskers, who are coached by former UA Fort Smith coach Doc Sadler.

Sadler, who is from Greenwood, Ark., served two stints as Lions assistant coach (1988-91, 1997-98) and was head coach and athletic director for five seasons (1998-2003) before joining then University of Texas - El Paso coach Billy Gillispie’s staff as assistant coach.

During his five seasons at UA Fort Smith, Sadler guided the Lions to four Bi-State Conference East Division titles, two NJCAA Region II tournament titles (2001, 2002) and two NJCAA national tournament appearances. Two of his teams (2001, 2002) reached the 30-win plateau.

It will be the first time Newman and Sadler have matched wits on the hardwood as head coaches, but the two have a long history. Newman was a student manager at Arizona State when Sadler was an assistant for then Sun Devils coach Bill Frieder. He later was an assistant coach for one season (1998-99) under Sadler at UA Fort Smith.

“Doc was the first one to schedule a game with us, and without a doubt, that means a lot to us, our program and the community,” Newman said. “He’s been instrumental in everything I have ever done in my career. This is going to be an emotion-filled game. I have coached against Doc as an assistant but never as a head coach. It’s going to be an eerie feeling

“We are so fortunate that he is was willing to do that. His roots are here, and he knows that. He is so important to this program in the past, now and even in the future. This is just a great opportunity for all of us.”

The Huskers return five lettermen from a team that finished 18-13 last year and earned a bid to the NIT. They are picked to finish 11th in the 12-team Big 12 Conference.

Senior Sek Henry, a 6-foot-4 guard, is the Huskers’ top returning player having started 29 of the 31 games he played in last season. Henry averaged eight points and 3.4 rebounds per game and had 64 assists, eight blocked shots and 29 steals.

“We will play probably a bigger, stronger Nebraska team than the Saint Louis team we just played. Take nothing away from Saint Louis, but Nebraska is going to be bigger and stronger. That will be another test for us,” Newman said. “Hopefully, we will be better by Friday than we were this past Friday and hopefully give them (Nebraska) something to work on as well.”

Junior Josh Simmons, a transfer from Colorado State, leads the Lions in scoring with 11 points per game. Simmons, a 6-4 guard from Houston, Texas, scored the Lions’ first points as a NCAA Division II team on a 3-pointer with 16:40 left in the first half against Saint Louis.

Juniors Jason Jackson, a 6-8 center from Dallas, Texas, and Aaron McHenry, a 6-1 guard from Fayetteville, Ark., each are averaging seven rebounds per game, and junior Cedric Henderson, a 6-0 guard from Houston, Texas, is averaging five assists per game.

Newman is looking for improvement in some key areas when the Lions take the court against the Huskers, particularly offensively.

“We have to execute a little better on offense,” said Newman, whose Lions shot 39 percent from the field and committed 23 turnovers against Saint Louis. “We have to make some harder, sharper cuts, and we have to screen some bodies. But again, the effort was great in that environment. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids at this time.”

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lions battled with the Saint Louis University Billikens for the better part of 28 minutes during Friday night’s exhibition basketball game, but the NCAA Division I Billikens proved to be too much down the stretch.

Saint Louis used a 15-2 run midway through the second half to break the game open on its way to a 79-51 win against the Lions at Chaifetz Arena.

It was the exhibition debut for both teams. It was the Lions’ first game ever as a NCAA Division II team and their first against a NCAA Division I opponent during the modern era.

UA Fort Smith only trailed 37-29 at halftime after a hard-fought first half against Saint Louis. The Lions rallied to within five points on a layup by junior Josh Simmons of Houston, Texas, with 14:44 left in the second half.

From there, though, the Billikens took control of the game.

Sophomore Willie Reed took a quick pass in the paint from freshman Christian Salecich and threw down a thunderous dunk with 13:45 left to play. That triggered a 15-2 run by the Billikens, who stretched their lead to 18 points with 11:27 left.

The Lions never recovered, and Saint Louis’ lead reached 20 point with 8:47 left on a jumper by sophomore Brian Conklin.

Reed led the Billikens with 19 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Jon Smith came off the bench to hit for 10 points and grab seven rebounds.

Saint Louis shot a sizzling 55 percent from the field (33 of 60). The Billikens forced 23 turnovers which led to 23 points. The Billikens also benefitted from their deep bench, which contributed 49 points.

Simmons, who transferred to UA Fort Smith after two seasons at NCAA Division I Colorado State, hit for 11 points to lead the Lions in scoring. He earned a spot in the record books by scoring the Lions’ first points as a D-II team, sinking a 3-pointer with 16:18 left in the first half.

In all, 10 players scored for the Lions, who shot 39 percent from the field (21 of 54). The Lions, however, only hit 42 percent from the free-throw line (5 of 12).

MEN

SAINT LOUIS 79, UA FORT SMTH 51

UA Fort Smith 29 22 — 51

Saint Louis 37 42 — 79

UA Fort Smith: Simmons 11, Neville 9, Williams 6, Jeffs 6, Jackson 5, Henderson 4, Clark 3, McHenry 3, Mitchell 2, Isadore 2.

Saint Louis: Reed 19, Smith 10, Salecich 9, Cassity 9, John 8, Conklin 7, Jordan 6, Reid 5, Mitchell 4, Remekun 2.

UA Fort Smith competed as a junior college program since it was founded in 1928 and was a member of the Bi-State Conference since becoming a charter member in the 1950s.

The Lions were a power in that ultra-tough conference until their departure at the end of last spring. During that time, the Lions made 13 appearances in the men’s NJCAA national basketball tournament, winning national championships in 1981 and 2006.

UA Fort Smith will look to continue that winning tradition at the D-II level under fourth-year head coach Josh Newman.

“Any time that you are a part of something new and a part of a transition from one chapter in your history to a new chapter in your history, it is very exciting,” Newman said. “This will be something that our kids will remember forever. This will be the team that will always be remembered as the first Division II team in what will hopefully be our long Division II history.”

UA Fort Smith will begin its first D-II season on Friday when it travels to St. Louis, Mo., to play an exhibition game against the NCAA Division I Saint Louis University Billikens at 8 p.m. at Chaifetz Arena.

The game will be broadcast on the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com, and there will be Twitter updates throughout the Lions’ road trip at http://twitter.com/UAFSSports.

“It’s an exciting time for UA Fort Smith basketball as we officially take to the NCAA stage. Playing against Saint Louis will show us how much we’ve progressed since the first day of practice and more importantly where we need to be in the next couple weeks,” Newman said.

“Exhibition games are the measuring stick for preseason play. We will be taking a look at different rotations, different player positions and different offensive and defensive schemes. We are excited to take the floor and see our team in action for the first time this year.”

Newman, a native of Chino Valley, Ariz., inherited the reins of the Lions program from former coach Jeremy Cox, who left in late July of 2006 to become assistant coach at Texas A&M after leading the Lions to their second national title.

Newman is 70-25 after his first three seasons as Lions coach – his first collegiate head coaching position. He guided the Lions to three Region II tournaments, including consecutive semifinal appearances, and led the Lions to the 2008 Bi-State Conference East Division championship.

A year ago, UA Fort Smith finished 23-9 overall and 5-3 in the Bi-State Conference East Division. The Lions, who peaked at No. 2 in the NJCAA Top 25, lost in the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.

Only one starter returns from that team – junior guard LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark. Williams, who was All-Bi-State Conference East Division and second team All-Region II, was the second-leading scorer (13.6 ppg), led the team in steals (73) and was third in assists (68).

Williams, however, is academically ineligible this semester and will become eligible in January.

The Lions also return freshmen Michael Pharis, a 6-3 guard from Van Buren, Ark., and Dean Neville, a 6-9 center from Melbourne, Australia, who redshirted last season.

Needless to say, Newman and his staff spent a lot of time on the recruiting trail in the offseason to replenish their depleted roster, and they were very successful in adding some much-needed experience from the junior college and NCAA Division I ranks.

UA Fort Smith signed junior college gems in Cedric Henderson, a 5-11 junior guard from Collin County Community College; Jason Jackson, a 6-8 junior center from Collin County Community College; Wayne Jackson, a 6-6 junior forward from Murray State College; Aaron McHenry, a 6-1 junior guard from Northern Oklahoma College - Enid; and Chris Williams, a 6-5 junior forward from Moberly Area Community College, and D-I veteran Josh Simmons, a 6-4 junior guard from Colorado State.

Newman said Wayne Jackson will redshirt this season.

“We are expecting big things out of Cedric Henderson. He is going to be a leader on the floor, is very good with the ball in his hands and makes everybody around him better,” Newman said. “We are expecting Josh Simmons to give us some scoring pop, some maturity and some strength on the wing.”

Along with that talented corps of upperclassmen, the Lions also added a solid class of freshmen that includes Jalynn Mitchell, a 5-11 guard from Jonesboro, Ark.; Jonathan Sharpless, a 6-4 guard from Dallas, Texas; Grant Clark, a 6-6 forward from Houston, Texas; Willie Isadore, a 6-0 guard from Hot Springs, Ark.; Chad Jeffs, a 6-5 forward from Rogers, Ark.; Michael Vann, a 5-11 guard from Fort Smith; and Djordje Stojanovic, a 6-8 center from Lazarevac, Serbia.

Newman said that Sharpless, Vann and Stojanovic will likely redshirt this season.

UA Fort Smith, which will be a provisional member of D-II this season, will compete in the Heartland Conference, which includes Dallas Baptist University, University of the Incarnate Word, St. Edward’s University, Texas A&M International, University of Texas - Permian Basin, St. Mary’s University, Oklahoma Panhandle State, Lincoln University and Newman University.

As a provisional member, UA Fort Smith will not be eligible to compete for regular-season championships or postseason play. However, Newman put together a schedule that has a postseason feel to it with two exhibitions against D-I foes and four regular-season games against D-I opponents.

After its exhibition opener against Saint Louis, UA Fort Smith will play Nebraska in exhibition play and will play UMass, Troy, Georgia Southern and Valparaiso in the prestigious Legends Classic during the regular season. That’s in addition to a rigorous D-II schedule that includes in-state foe University of Arkansas - Monticello and regional opponents like Southwestern Oklahoma State and Missouri Southern University.

“Since we couldn’t play in the postseason, we wanted to do something a little unique. I think we did that by going out and scheduling six Division I games. To my knowledge, we are the only Division II team in the country that has six Division I games on its schedule,” Newman said. “We did want to do something different and take these kids somewhere they might not have ever been before and experience something they might not have ever experienced.”

Fifty-two students and student-athletes went door-to-door throughout Fort Smith neighborhoods on Saturday collecting canned food items for Thanksgiving food baskets they will prepare for needy families.

“One of the guys who was in my group was like ‘I feel really good that I used a Saturday to help people,’” said UA Fort Smith tennis player Cameron Terrell, who helped organize the food drive. “It was cool. That was pretty much the common sentiment among everybody. They were excited to be there and really glad they could help.”

The group visited 398 houses and collected 1,019 canned food items, as well as $110 in donations. Terrell, a sophomore from Little Rock, Ark., said the group was really excited about the response.

“Most of the people who were home were really excited about helping us,” Terrell said. “They were glad they could give, too. They were glad we included them in the giving process.”

Initially, Terrell said the group had hoped to collect enough food to make baskets for 40 families but because of the overwhelming outpouring of support from the community that they now hope to make baskets for 60-75 families.

The group is working with the Community Clearinghouse, which will provide them with a list of needy families. They expect to make their food basket deliveries the week before the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We had a lot of help from Caring for the Northside and Sebastian Commons,” Terrell said. “Sebastian Commons provided us pizza, and Caring for the Northside provided the T-shirts and the transportation, which we really needed.”

The door-to-door food drive also was a community service project adopted by the UA Fort Smith Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight of the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. It also is a public service organization and participates in various community service projects throughout the year.

Student-athletes representing men’s and women’s tennis and baseball participated in the food drive.

“A huge part of SAAC is community service, and it was great to see our student-athletes jump on this opportunity to help a large number of people in our community,” said UA Fort Smith compliance director Will Collier, who is the SAAC sponsor. “Too often athletes are criticized for only wanting to do things for themselves, and it’s exciting that our athletes want to help others and be a positive influence in their community.”

UA Fort Smith SAAC members, along with members of Caring for the Northside, will be collecting canned food for Thanksgiving meals for those in need in Fort Smith.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight of the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

SAAC also is a public service organization and participates in various community service projects throughout the year.

Activities get under way at 7 p.m. and will include player introductions, team scrimmages, 3-point contests and dunk contests. Players and coaches will also be available for a meet-and-greet autograph and picture sessions with the fans.

There also will be free popcorn and fountain drinks. Admission is free, but fans are asked to bring a canned food item to support the local food bank.

“We would like to introduce our teams to our fans and our fans to our teams without doing that at midnight,” Lady Lions coach Louis Whorton said. “We felt like we would get a lot more of our young kids who come out to our games to come out at 7 o’clock versus midnight. Kids do have to go to school the next day.” Whorton said he is excited about the opportunity to interact with the UA Fort Smith fans in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

“A lot of our fans are talking about what these teams are going to look like and things like that, and we wanted them to have a chance to see (our teams) in a relaxed atmosphere,” Whorton said. “There will be a lot of activities, and the players will be available for autographs and pictures. It will be more of a meet-and-greet event than anything else.”

Thursday will mark the first day of official team practice for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. After weeks of individual workouts, Whorton is ready to begin preseason preparation in earnest.

“I don’t know if I have ever been more antsy for practice to start in 34 years of coaching,” said Whorton, who begins his 24th season at UA Fort Smith. “It’s because I haven’t seen (the team). I’ve seen them in the weight room and doing individual workouts, but I have not seen them together.

“I’m kind of crawling the walls. I wish we started right now. The kids are eager to get started, and I am too.”

The Lady Lions will open the regular season on Nov. 20-21 in the third annual Dr. Mary Jane Gilbert Classic hosted by the University of Arkansas - Monticello. They will play Southern Arkansas at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 and UA Monticello at 2 p.m. on Nov. 21.

The Lions will open the exhibition season on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. against Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo.

Playing paintball?

Yes, the Lions competed against each other recently in paintball games at All American Paintball in Bloomer, Ark., but it was much for than fun and games for the players and coaching staff.

Newman said it was a learning activity that emphasized teamwork and leadership skills.

“It wasn’t just about playing paintball. It was about seeing some leaders step forward. It was about seeing guys work together. It was about seeing them have fun and enjoying the company of each other in a non-basketball environment,” said Newman, who begins his fourth season at UA Fort Smith.

“It was great. I saw so many smiles, and the guys were talking about the exciting things that happened out there. It was just neat to see them have a lot of fun in an atmosphere that’s still conducive to learning.”

For about two hours, the Lions split up into teams and tried to out-wit and out-last their opponents on the various challenging courses All American has to offer. And considering it was a hot, muggy afternoon, the players got in a good workout in the process.

“It is a lot more physically demanding that people understand. It’s an adrenaline rush and a physically demanding activity,” Newman said.

“More so than that, we got to see some team-building. We separated the teams, and you got to see some leaders emerge and kind of dictate how the games should be played. You saw guys protect each other and stand up for each other in certain situations. That was really neat to see who was taking charge, who was aggressive and who was laid-back.”

And, everyone had fun.

The Lions have been participating in individual workouts, and with the official start of preseason practice beginning Oct. 15, it was the perfect opportunity to mix in a little fun before they prepare in earnest for the upcoming season.

“It’s always important to have a little bit of fun before it gets really serious,” Newman said.

Newman said the individual workouts have been very productive and that he has seen a lot of improvement, but he is eager for the start of team practice. The Lions open the exhibition season on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. against Saint Louis University at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo.

“I like the idea of having individual workouts because you can focus on each young man’s needs, necessities and strengths and weaknesses. That’s been really good. I have really seen them grow and mature on an individual basis,” Newman said.

“I am really eager to get them as a group so we can grow and mature as a group rather than as an individual.”

UA Fort Smith also will play an exhibition game at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 against Nebraska at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb., before officially opening the season on Nov. 17 against the University of the Ozarks at the Stubblefield Center.

Newman announced Wednesday that the Lions will play an exhibition game against the St. Louis University Billikens at 8 p.m. on Oct. 30 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. It is the last of six exhibition games for the Lions, who will play 29 games during their first season as a Division II member.

“We are extremely proud to announce we have finally completed our 2009-2010 schedule. We are very fortunate to have six Division I teams on our schedule, including our most recent addition of St. Louis University,” said Newman, who begins his fourth season at UA Fort Smith.

“We are very appreciative of coach Rick Majerus and associate head coach Porter Moser for scheduling an exhibition game with us. Playing against a talented St. Louis team will be an excellent opportunity for our team to address its strengths and weaknesses before we officially open the season.”

UA Fort Smith, which will compete in the Heartland Conference, also will play exhibition games against the University of Nebraska (Nov. 6), the University of Massachusetts (Nov. 21), Troy University (Nov. 27), Georgia Southern University (Nov. 28) and Valparaiso University (Nov. 29) – the last four of which will be a part of the prestigious Legends Classic.

“We are trying to play the most aggressive non-conference schedule we can so that it will prepare us for the Heartland Conference and our arrival on the NCAA level. We want to make some noise across the country and let everyone know that UA Fort Smith is now on the NCAA level,” Newman said.

“With six Division I games on our schedule, we might very well have the toughest schedule in all of Division II. No other Division II program in the country has as many Division I games as the Lions. Our remaining non-conference schedule is demanding as well with a home-and-home series with UA Monticello and road games against Southwestern Oklahoma State and Missouri Southern.”

UA Fort Smith will host NCAA Division III University of the Ozarks at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 in its home opener at the Stubblefield Center. It will be the first of 11 home games for the Lions this season.

“We hope to see everyone on Nov. 17 for our first home game of our NCAA transition,” Newman said.

Newman announced Friday that the Lions have accepted an invitation to compete in the prestigious Legends Classic. The Lions will join 11 NCAA Division I teams in the early-season event that will be hosted at on-campus arenas throughout the country.

UA Fort Smith will play the University of Massachusetts in its classic opener at 6 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. UMass is one of four teams to host regional round games in the classic, joining Michigan State, Florida and Rutgers.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our university and the men’s basketball program to gain national exposure this early in our NCAA transition,” said Newman, who begins his fourth season at UA Fort Smith. “I can’t think of a more exciting way to start our NCAA experience than participating in the Legends Classic with teams like Florida, Michigan State, Rutgers and UMass.”

Those four regional host teams will automatically advance to the championship rounds at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on Nov. 27-28. Last year, Pittsburgh defeated Washington State 57-43 in the Legends Classic championship game. Pittsburgh advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA national tournament and was ranked No. 1 on two different occasions during the season.

The other classic participants – UA Fort Smith, Georgia Southern, Valparaiso, Troy, Drexel, Toledo, Cornell and Vermont – will then play a round-robin series at a campus site on Nov. 27-29. UA Fort Smith will travel to Statesboro, Ga., for its round-robin series and will play Troy(Nov. 27, 4 p.m.), host Georgia Southern (Nov. 28, 4 p.m.) and Valparaiso (Nov. 29, noon).

“I want to commend coach Newman for his hard work in securing these games,” UA Fort Smith athletic director Dustin Smith said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our men’s basketball team, but its impact reaches further than just the men’s basketball team. These games couldn’t come at a more ideal time as we make the transition to NCAA Division II. This really cements our legitimacy as a solid program.”

UA Fort Smith will be the only non-Division I team participating in the exclusive event.

“This is truly an exciting time for Lions basketball,” Newman said. “There is a good chance we will have to introduce ourselves a couple times along the way and answer the question ‘Where is Fort Smith?’ since we are the lone NCAA Division II program participating. But, we are willing to bear that burden.”

The four classic games will be exhibition games for the Lions and will not count toward their overall regular-season record, but they will count in their opponents’ win-loss record. UA Fort Smith will play five exhibition games in all this season, including its season-opener on Nov. 6 against the University of Nebraska at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.

“Who would have thought we would be preparing to go on the road and play UMass, Valparaiso, Troy and Georgia Southern in the Legends Classic our very first year? Not me, but I sure am looking forward to seeing UA Fort Smith flash across the ESPN ticker,” Newman said.

UA Fort Smith will no doubt earn some national name recognition by playing such Division I powers. That will have long-term positive effects for the overall program, Smith said, considering UA Fort Smith is building a new identity as a member of Division II.

“These games will have a long-lasting impact on UA Fort Smith as we have an opportunity to be seen against some quality Division I programs,” Smith said. “Any Division II program would welcome the opportunity to be noticed on the national level, and this definitely gives us that opportunity.”

UA Fort Smith chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran said this is not only a great opportunity for the student-athletes athletically but also educationally.

“Our theme for our athletic program is education first,” Beran said. “The educational opportunity this presents is tremendous for our student-athletes. Culturally, it will be a great learning experience. They will have the chance to meet different people and see a different part of the country.”

In addition to showcasing some of the nation’s premier teams, the Legends Classic was also established to honor former players and coaches from the participating teams that have made a significant contribution to the sport.

The “Legends” are recognized annually at the event. Past “Legends” have included Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh), Gerald Myers (Texas Tech), Bailey Howell (Mississippi State), Craig Ehlo (Washington State), Bernard King (Tennessee), Slater Martin (Texas), Jerry West (West Virginia) and Lou Henson (New Mexico State).

For complete classic bracket, visit http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/legends/teams.htm.

Prospective players must be current UA Fort Smith students. Prospective players must have had a physical within the past six months and have documentation from a physician on file with UA Fort Smith director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer Jeff McGee prior to the tryout.

Also, prospective players must fill out a UA Fort Smith walk-on form and have it on file with UA Fort Smith compliance director Will Collier prior to the tryout. The walk-on form is available at www.uafortsmith.edu/attach/Athletics/Nav/UAFSWalk-onForm.pdf.

For more information, contact men’s assistant basketball coach Ryan Price at (479) 788-7691 or rprice@uafortsmith.edu.

The camp will not be rescheduled.

Simmons, a 6-foot-4 guard from Houston, Texas, is a transfer from NCAA Division I Colorado State University, while Grant Clark is a 6-7 center from The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas.

“We are excited to add two more quality student-athletes to the Lions program,” said Newman, who is beginning his fourth season at UA Fort Smith.

Simmons started two of the 15 games he played in this past season and averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for the Rams, who compete in the Mountain West Conference.

As a freshman at Colorado State, Simmons started 19 of the 32 games he played in, averaging 20.5 minutes per game. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Simmons began his prep career as a freshman at Keystone High School in Houston, Texas, before transferring to Kingwood High School in Houston for his sophomore season and then transferring to Westfield High School in Houston for his junior and senior seasons.

He averaged 30 points and 11 rebounds as a freshman at Keystone High, where he was coached by his father, and was named second team all-state, first team all-district, first team all-area, first team all-region and first team all-metro.

As a sophomore, he helped lead Kingwood High to a 37-4 win-loss record and a state championship.

As a junior, Simmons led Westfield High to a 36-1 win-loss record and a No. 2 national ranking, according to USA Today. He earned first team all-district, first team all-region and first team all-metro honors. Simmons averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior.

During his prep career, he was named MVP of the Greater Houston All-Star Game and participated in the Adidas Superstar Camp.

He is related to retired NBA all-star Terry Cummings and former UCLA Bruin and current NBDL player T.J. Cummings.

“Josh will bring a tremendous amount of experience to our program,” Newman said. “He has competed at the highest level and against some of the best players in the country. Josh’s abilities are ideal for our style, and we see him being a successful part of our program for the next two years.”

Clark attended the University of Texas - San Antonio this past year but did not play basketball and will be a freshman athletically. During his senior season at The Woodlands, he averaged 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

“Grant is a young man who has really grown as a player over the year,” Newman said. “For his size, he is an exceptional shooter from the outside and will give us added depth in our front court.”

Kohlheim, a 6-foot-5 forward from Tupelo, Miss., played only one season for the Lions after transferring from NCAA Division I Jacksonville (Fla.) University.

“We are glad to see Paul continue his career closer to his family and friends at Lambuth University,” UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman said. “Paul will be able to contribute right away and have a quality career at Lambuth.”

Kohlheim averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this past season while helping guide the Lions to a 23-9 overall win-loss record and a runner-up finish in the Bi-State Conference East Division. The Lions advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament, losing to eventual region runner-up Northern Oklahoma College - Enid.

Lambuth, which is transitioning to NCAA Division II, finished 17-12 overall this past season, while competing as a member of the NAIA’s Association of Independent Institutions Athletic Conference.

UA Fort Smith men’s basketball coach Josh Newman will conduct two individual camps for children in grades 2-6 on July 20-22 and Aug. 3-5 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

Campers will receive individual instruction in the fundamentals of defense, rebounding, shooting and ball handling. Each camper will receive individual instruction from members of the UA Fort Smith coaching staff and players.

Cost of the day-long camps is $150 per camper and includes a camp T-shirt and commemorative certificate signifying completion of the camp.

Campers may bring their own lunch, or food will be available for purchase at the camp store.

Registration forms are available on-line at www.uafortsmith.edu/Basketball or at the athletics office located inside the Stubblefield Center. For more information, call (479) 788-7590.

Also, Newman will conduct an Elite Camp for boys in grades 7-12 on July 25 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

Campers will participate in guard/post drills and 5-on-5 games and will receive a personal evaluation. Cost is $40 and includes a camp T-shirt.

Registration forms are available on-line at www.uafortsmith.edu/Basketball or at the athletics office located inside the Stubblefield Center. For more information, contact assistant coach Hank Plona at (479) 788-7593 or at hplona@uafortsmith.edu.

UA Fort Smith women’s basketball coach Louis Whorton will conduct an individual shooting camp for children in grades 3-6 on July 27-29 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

Camp participants will receive instruction in all phases of shooting the basketball, like shooting off the pass and shooting off the dribble. Campers will learn proper hand position, footwork and follow-through and will learn 10 shooting drills that they will be able to use at home. Also, participants will have their shot videotaped and critiqued by the women’s basketball coaching staff.

Cost of the day-long camps is $150 per camper and includes a camp T-shirt. Campers may bring their lunch, or food will be available for purchase.

Registration forms are available on-line at www.uafortsmith.edu/WBasketball or at the athletics office located inside the Stubblefield Center. For more information, call (479) 788-7590.

He should.

After all, Newman has coached him for the past two seasons.

LaDustin Williams, a 6-foot-1 guard from Jonesboro, Ark., recently re-signed with the Lions, becoming the third player from last year’s Lions team to return for the program’s first season as a NCAA Division II member. Freshmen Michael Pharis, a 6-2 guard from Van Buren, Ark., and Dean Neville, a 6-9 forward from Australia, also will return after redshirting this past season.

“We are extremely excited that LaDustin has decided to finish his career at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith,” said Newman, who begins his fourth season at UA Fort Smith. “He has been an important part of our program the past two years and gives us an immediate foundation as we build for the future. LaDustin has the unique opportunity to be the first player to ever play four years in a Lions uniform.”

Williams played in all 32 of the Lions’ games this past season and averaged 13.7 points per game, scoring in double-figures in 22 games. He also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

He helped lead the Lions to a 23-9 win-loss record and a runner-up finish in the Bi-State Conference East Division. The Lions advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament, losing to eventual region runner-up Northern Oklahoma College - Enid.

Williams earned first team All-Bi-State East Division honors and was second team All-Region II.

As a freshman, Williams played in 31 games and averaged 8.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He helped guide the Lions to a 28-4 win-loss record and the Bi-State East Division title. The Lions advanced to the region tournament semifinals, losing to eventual region champ Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

The NCAA has granted UA Fort Smith provisional Division II membership status beginning with the upcoming academic year. UA Fort Smith athletic director Dustin Smith received official notification from the NCAA during a conference call on Thursday afternoon.

“A lot of work has gone into getting to this point. By no means is it over, but it is a huge step in the right direction and a positive movement for the institution and the athletic department,” Smith said. “A lot of worries have ended with this decision. We are one step closer to the prize, and that prize is active membership in Division II.”

As a provisional member, UA Fort Smith will compete at the NCAA Division II level this upcoming season, but its teams will not be eligible to compete for conference or region championships or participate in postseason play.

Once the provisional year is completed, UA Fort Smith will be eligible for full active membership. That decision will be made by the NCAA in July 2010. Smith said he expects UA Fort Smith to be granted full active membership at that time.

“In the whole process if (the NCAA) doesn’t feel that you have done what you are supposed to do, you repeat the year that you are on,” Smith explained. “I can’t ever say that (full active membership) is a done deal, but hopefully a year from this time, we can say that it’s a done deal and that we are an active Division II school.

“We have the pieces in place, and I would not foresee them saying that we would have to repeat the third year (the provisional year).”

UA Fort Smith announced its intentions to leave the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and pursue NCAA Division II membership prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.

UA Fort Smith completed the first year of the two-year exploratory phase required for Division II membership and was given approval by the NCAA on July 24, 2008, to move to the second year of the membership process for the 2008-09 academic year.

Two members representing the NCAA membership committee conducted a two-day, on-site visit at UA Fort Smith this past April, during which time they toured the campus and the athletic facilities and interviewed administrators, faculty and staff about the university’s academic and athletic policies and procedures.

Their favorable report – as well as UA Fort Smith’s work throughout the early stages of the membership process – was instrumental in the committee granting the university provisional membership status.

“My goal in this whole process was to do as much as we could on the front end to look and present ourselves as a Division II school,” Smith said. “We looked at a lot of institutions both in the state and in the region to give us some guidance and to set a standard for us to follow.

“My whole philosophy was that ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Obviously, there are schools around us who have been successful as Division II schools. We wanted to implement some of the things they do, and (UA Fort Smith Chancellor) Dr. (Paul) Beran has given us great guidance in doing that and has been very supportive of that. I think the (membership) committee was pleased with what we have done.”

This past spring, UA Fort Smith accepted an invitation to join the Heartland Conference and will begin competition in the league beginning this fall. The Heartland Conference is the newest Division II conference. The conference, which was founded in 1999, covers a distance of more than 1,050 miles from north to south and 610 miles east to west.

UA Fort Smith will join current Heartland Conference members Dallas Baptist University, Incarnate Word University, St. Edward’s University, Lincoln University, St. Mary’s University, Newman University, Texas A&M International University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and the University of Texas - Permian Basin.

UA Fort Smith will begin its first season as a member of NCAA Division II with an exhibition game against former Lions coach Doc Sadler’s Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Lions will play the Cornhuskers at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.

It will be the first of two exhibition games for the Cornhuskers. Nebraska also will play NAIA Division I Hastings (Neb.) College at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Devaney Center. Nebraska will open the regular season against the University of South Carolina - Upstate on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Devaney Center.

“We are excited to announce that our first game as an official NCAA member will be against the University of Nebraska,” UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman said. “Doc and I have been talking about playing for the last couple years as we approached NCAA status. I always wanted our first NCAA exhibition game to be against Doc.”

Sadler served two coaching stints at UA Fort Smith. The Greenwood, Ark., native was an assistant coach under former Lions coach Bobby Vint for three seasons (1988-1991) and returned to the former junior college power as assistant coach under former Lions coach Charles Ripley for one season (1997-98) before succeeding Ripley as head coach the following season.

During his five seasons as Lions head coach, Sadler guided the Lions to four Bi-State Conference East Division titles, two NJCAA Region II tournament titles and two appearances in the NJCAA national tournament.

Sadler left UA Fort Smith to become assistant coach under then University of Texas - El Paso coach Billy Gillispie. After one season as UTEP assistant coach, Sadler succeeded Gillispie as head coach when Gillispie left to become head coach at Texas A&M. Sadler coached the Miners for two seasons before becoming Nebraska head coach in 2006.

“It’s a great opportunity to say thank you for everything Doc has done and meant to UA Fort Smith,” said Newman, who served as Sadler’s assistant at UA Fort Smith.

It may not be the only exhibition game the Lions play against a Division I foe.

“We plan on scheduling two more exhibition games against NCAA Division I opponents,” Newman said.

UA Fort Smith will follow its exhibition encounters with its official season opener on Nov. 17 against NCAA Division III University of the Ozarks at the Stubblefield Center. It will be the first of 13 regular-season home games for the Lions, who are members of the Heartland Conference.

Price fills the vacancy created by the departure of assistant coach Richie Riley. Riley, who was hired earlier this month, resigned to become an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Coastal Carolina University.

Price previously was assistant coach for two seasons at NCAA Division II Gannon University in Erie, Pa.

“Ryan is a great addition to our staff. He is really energetic, hard working and knowledgeable,” said Newman, who is beginning his fourth season at UA Fort Smith. “What impressed me the most about Ryan was his passion to be a part of the Lions family. He has (NCAA) Division II experience and is willing to give the extra effort to help the program be successful.”

At UA Fort Smith, Price will be recruiting coordinator and will coach guards. He also will be in charge of scheduling and team travel and will assist with monitoring academics and scouting.

“I love Fort Smith. It’s a wonderful place. The people are nice, and the school is great with a wonderful staff and a great atmosphere,” Price said.

Price is a native of Roanoke, Va., and is the son of current Lamar University assistant coach Tic Price, who previously was assistant coach at North Texas State and head coach at McNeese State, Memphis and New Orleans.

The 24-year-old is a 2002 graduate of William Fleming High School, where he earned All-District and All-Region honors. He played three seasons at McNeese State before finishing his collegiate playing career at NCAA Division II Henderson State.

While at McNeese State, Price was named McNeese State’s Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year for the Cowboys – a feat accomplished only once before in school history by NBA Hall of Famer and former Detroit Piston Joe Dumars.

During his only season at Henderson State, Price, who played guard, started 32 games and averaged eight points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He helped lead the Reddies to a 23-9 win-loss record, the Gulf South Conference West Division championship and the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament.

Price was a student assistant coach at Henderson State during the fall of 2007 while completing his bachelor’s degree in general studies before joining the Gannon coaching staff.

During his two seasons at Gannon, Price helped guide the Golden Knights to a combined 56-9 win-loss record. The Golden Knights finished 30-4 this past season, won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship, won the Atlantic Region Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II national tournament.

At Gannon, Price was in charge of recruiting, coaching post players and monitoring academics.

“This was an opportunity to move up in the coaching ranks, as well as an opportunity to work under coach Newman,” Price said. “Coach Newman is very highly-respected in the coaching ranks and getting to work for him was very appealing."

Riley and Plona fill the vacancies on Newman’s staff that were created by the recent resignations of assistant coaches Nate Mast and Chris Lowry. Mast was hired as the head men’s basketball coach at NJCAA Division II Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., and Lowry is currently pursuing other coaching opportunities.

At UA Fort Smith, Riley will be recruiting coordinator and will coach guards. He also will be in charge of scheduling, team travel and will assist with monitoring academics and scouting. Plona will coach forwards and will be in charge of monitoring housing, overseeing the strength program and directing camps. He also will assist with monitoring academics and scouting.

“Richie and Hank are two great additions to our staff. Both are energetic, hard working and knowledgeable,” said Newman, who is beginning his fourth season at UA Fort Smith. “What impressed me the most about both Richie and Hank was their passion to be a part of the Lions family. They both are willing to give the extra effort to help the program be successful.”

Riley, a native of London, Ky., has spent the past three seasons at Pikeville College, a NAIA Division I school in Pikeville, Ky. The 26-year-old was the top assistant coach for Bears head coach Kelly Wells for two seasons before being promoted to associate head coach this past season. He also was recruiting coordinator for three seasons.

While at Pikeville, Riley helped guide the Bears to an overall 54-40 win-loss record, including a 42-21 mark the past two seasons. Pikeville’s 2007 and 2008 recruiting classes were rated in the Top 5 in the nation at the NAIA level by VSN and RecruitingRumors.com and included 11 NCAA Division I transfers as well as five Kentucky high school players.

Riley was recognized for his recruiting abilities by being named Top NAIA Assistant Coach by RecruitingRumors.com.

Prior to joining the Pikeville staff, Riley was an assistant coach for one season (2005-06) at NCAA Division II University of Hawaii - Pacific and a volunteer assistant coach at NAIA Division I Georgetown College for two seasons (2003-05).

Riley is a graduate of South Laurel High School (2001) and Eastern Kentucky University (2005), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in special education with a minor in English. At Eastern Kentucky, he played basketball one season for then-head coach Travis Ford, who is now the head men’s basketball coach at Oklahoma State University.

“This was a great opportunity to be able to work under coach Newman and learn from him, and that was a big part of it,” said Riley on joining the UA Fort Smith staff. “The campus and town are great, and this is a really special place. I’m really happy to be here and to get the chance to work here and get better as a coach while working under coach Newman.”

Plona, a native of Avon, Conn., has spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant at NCAA Division I Providence College. The 23-year-old is a graduate of Avon High School (2003) and Providence (2007), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science while serving as student manager for the Friars basketball team.

“I worked for two head coaches at Providence, and both of them knew coach Newman and spoke very highly of him,” said Plona of joining the UA Fort Smith staff. “This is a really good situation.”

Jackson, a native of Milwaukee, Wis., averaged 5.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one steal per game during his sophomore season at UA Fort Smith.

The 6-foot guard, who split his freshman season between Creighton and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, helped lead the Lions to a 23-9 record and the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.

“We are happy that DJ will be able to continue his academic and athletic career at Mississippi Valley State next year,” UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman said. “Although DJ was only with the UA Fort Smith family for a year, we are extremely proud of him and look forward to following his success.”

Mississippi Valley, which is located in Itta Bena, Miss., finished 7-25 overall and 7-11 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this past season. The Delta Devils, who are under the direction of second-year coach Sean Woods, finished sixth in the SWAC.

Cox, a 6-foot-1 guard from Nassau, Bahamas, averaged 5.6 points, a team-high 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game this past season while helping lead the Lions to a 23-9 record and the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.

The former Fayetteville Christian standout, who will be a junior next season, scored a season-high 13 points against Seminole State this past year and had a season-high 13 assists against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid.

Cox is the first recruit signed by first-year High Point Panthers coach Scott Cherry. High Point, which is located in High Point, N.C., finished 9-21 overall last season and 4-14 overall in Big South Conference play.

“Tehran has been an excellent representation of UA Fort Smith and our basketball program the last two years,” UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman said. “We are excited that he will be able to continue his education and dream of playing Division I basketball. We wish Tehran the very best and look forward to following his success.”

Mast will succeed Sergio McClain, who stepped down as head coach after only one season at the NJCAA Division II school. The Cobras finished 12-20 overall and 6-10 in the Mid-West Athletic Conference.

In addition to his head coaching duties, Mast also will be athletic academic advisor.

It was an opportunity for Mast, his wife, Ashley, and their son, Nolan, to return home. Both Mast and his wife are natives of Champaign, and Mast played basketball at the University of Illinois and is a 2002 graduate of the Big 10 school.

During his two seasons at UA Fort Smith, Mast helped guide the Lions to a 51-13 record, a Bi-State Conference East Division championship and two semifinal appearances in the NJCAA Region II tournament.

“I am very excited for Nate. The opportunity to return home and run his own program speaks volumes for the type of young coach he is,” UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman said. “He did an excellent job the last two years with our program, and I expect him to have a great impact at Parkland College.”

Also, Lions assistant coach Chris Lowry recently resigned to pursue other coaching opportunities. During his one season at UA Fort Smith, Lowry, a native of Moreno Valley, Calif., helped guide the Lions to a 23-9 record and a semifinal appearance in the Region II tournament.

“Chris did an excellent job this year with every challenge I threw at him,” Newman said. “We wish him all the best as he returns to California to pursue a coaching career closer to home.”

Newman, who will begin his fourth season as Lions head coach, signed Jonathan Sharpless, a 6-5 guard from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas; Chad Jeffs, a 6-6 forward from Rogers (Ark.) High School; and Chris Williams, a 6-foot-6 forward from Moberly (Mo.) Area Community College.

Sharpless averaged 15 points per game for the Wildcats, who finished 21-12 overall and lost to Sherman in the Conference 4A Area playoffs. He was two-time All-District 11-4A and All-Region District 2.

He was selected to the Dallas ISD All-Star Team and participated in the Reebok Break-Out Camp All-Star Game.

“It’s a blessing. I never thought in all my years of playing basketball that someone would want me to play like UA Fort Smith has,” Sharpless said. “The campus was really nice, and everyone there was really nice and friendly and welcomed me.”

Sharpless also received interest from Weber State and the University of Texas - El Paso.

“We are extremely excited to have Jonathan join our program,” Newman said. “He is an outstanding player that can play either of the wing positions. Unlike many incoming freshmen, Jonathan is college ready now and will play a significant role from day one for our program.”

Jeffs averaged nine points and seven rebounds for the Mounties, who finished 24-6 and lost to Fayetteville in the Class 7A state championship game. He was honorable mention All-Conference and honorable mention All-State Tournament Team and was a member of the KURM Radio Dream Team.

“It’s a great opportunity for me, and I’m really excited about it,” Jeffs said. “I had other schools looking at me, but Fort Smith is the place I wanted to go. It’s a great fit for me. They’ve got great facilities, and the coaching staff is great.

“The coaching staff, I just clicked with them and have a good relationship with them. The facilities are really nice. We played there in the state tournament, and it’s probably the nicest place I’ve ever played.”

Jeffs could contribute as a freshman for the Lions, but Newman said there’s a possibility that he could redshirt next season.

“Chad has an extremely promising upside for an incoming freshman,” Newman said. “Fairly new to the game of basketball, Chad hasn’t even begun to tap into his potential. We look for Chad to have a great four-year career at UA Fort Smith.”

Williams, who is from Lebanon, Ill., averaged eight points and seven rebounds per game for the Greyhounds, who finished 8-21 and lost to Three Rivers Community College in the semifinals of the Region XVI tournament.

He was the third-leading rebounder in Region XVI and was eighth in the region in field-goal percentage (47 percent).

“Chris is a very versatile player who can play multiple positions. His size and strength give him the ability to guard a much bigger player as well as a smaller quicker player,” Newman said. “Chris will bring a sense of toughness and an energy level that Lions fans will appreciate.”

After watching Murray State College sophomore Wayne Jackson and Northern Oklahoma College - Enid’s Aaron McHenry play against his Lions this past season in the Bi-State Conference, Newman knew the two players would fit perfectly in his future game plan.

Apparently, Jackson and McHenry thought so, too.

The two junior college prospects signed with UA Fort Smith this week, becoming the fourth and fifth signees of Newman’s first Division II recruiting class.

Prep star Jalynn Mitchell, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Nettleton, Ark., signed with the Lions during the early signing period. Current Lions freshman Anthony Sanford, a 6-0 guard from Memphis, Tenn., will continue his playing career with the Lions next season. Current Lion Dean Neville, a 6-9 forward from Australia, redshirted this past season after joining the team at semester and will return next season.

“We are extremely excited about the start of our first NCAA Division II recruiting class. We feel we have started off with a solid foundation for what we expect to be a terrific class,” Newman said. “These young men represent the type of student-athlete we want to represent the University of Arkansas - Ft. Smith and our basketball program.”

McHenry, a 6-1 guard from Fayetteville, Ark., averaged 11 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists per game for the Jets, who lost to Connors State College in the NJCAA Region II tournament championship game.

McHenry, a former Springdale Har-Ber Wildcat, helped lead the Jets to their first division championship in school history and is the Jets’ all-time leader in steals. He chose UA Fort Smith over the University of Maine, Northern Illinois and Centenary.

“Aaron played extremely well all three times against us. We felt like he was a young man who we had a hard time stopping so we needed to make him a Lion,” Newman said. “Aaron can really stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the three with great range, and I am looking forward to coaching him rather than coaching against him.”

Jackson, a 6-7 forward from Tulsa, Okla., played his freshman season at Missouri State University - West Plains before transferring to Murray State College for his sophomore season. He averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Aggies.

A graduate of Tulsa Central High School, Jackson was a part of a state championship team as a senior and earned All-Conference honors.

“Wayne is a very versatile athlete who will give us an immediate impact on the glass as well as giving us a scoring threat around the basket,” Newman said. “He will continue to allow us to play up-tempo both offensively and defensively.”

UA Fort Smith trailed from the opening tip against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid on Saturday afternoon and never got closer than one point of taking the lead in suffering a 90-72 loss in the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.

The No. 1 seed Jets will play No. 1 seed Connors State at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the championship game. UA Fort Smith (23-9), the No. 2 seed, ended their season for the second consecutive year in the region tournament semifinals.

It was the third meeting between the two teams, and the Jets only win of the series. UA Fort Smith beat Northern-Enid 82-77 on Dec. 6 at Mabee Gymnasium and beat the Jets 91-68 at the Stubblefield Center on Jan. 20.

A 3-pointer Travis Smith just beat the halftime buzzer and sent the Jets into the locker room with a 40-29 lead. Northern-Enid stretched its lead to 14 points on a layup by Jeremy Lay with 13 minutes left before UA Fort Smith mounted its first rally.

The Lions went on a 13-0 run that sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., topped off with a 3-pointer and a stickback to get the Lions within 63-62. Northern-Enid pushed the lead back to four points, but UA Fort Smith again got within one point on a free throw and short jumper by freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., with 7:52 left.

Northern-Enid wasn’t fazed.

The Jets held the Lions to only four field goals in the final seven minutes and put together a game-breaking 27-8 run that pushed their lead to 20 points – their largest margin of the game – with seconds left.

Sophomore Tehran Cox of Nassau, Bahamas, ended the Jets’ run with a jumper with seconds left to cut the final margin to 18 points.

Northern-Enid scorched the nets, hitting 51.8 percent from the field (29 of 56). The Jets shot a sizzling 47.6 percent (10 of 21) from 3-point range with Aaron McHenry draining a team-high four 3-pointers on his way to 16 points.

Wayne Runnels, the Region II MVP, led the Jets with 24 points and polished off his double-double with 11 rebounds, while Lay chipped in 21 points. Ben Smith added 10 points.

UA Fort Smith shot just 38.7 percent from the field (24 of 62) and hit just 36.8 percent from 3-point range (7 of 19). The Lions committed 20 turnovers, which led to 20 points for the Jets.

Bush led the Lions with 22 points, while sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., chipped in 18 points. The Lions’ top two regular-season scorers were the only players to score in double-figures.

NO. 1 NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE – ENID 90, NO. 2 UA FORT SMITH 72

UA Fort Smith 29 43 — 72

Northern-Enid 40 50 — 90

UA Fort Smith (23-9): Bush 22, Williams 18, Johnson 8, Kohlheim 7, Cox 6, Keese 4, Jackson 3, Cline 3, Rutledge 1.

Northern-Enid (25-7): Runnels 24, Lay 21, McHenry 16, Smith 10, Smith 8, Grant 7, Pietrowicz 3, Howe 1.

NJCAA REGION II TOURNAMENT

MEN

AT OBU NOBLE COMPLEX, SHAWNEE, OKLA.

Thursday

Game 1: No. 3 Carl Albert State 70, No. 2 Western Oklahoma 68

Game 2: No. 1 Northern-Enid 97, No. 4 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M 77

Game 3: No. 2 UA Fort Smith 81, No. 3 Northern-Tonkawa 72 (OT)

Game 4: No. 1 Connors State def. No. 4 Seminole State

Saturday

Game 5: No. 1 Connors State def. No. 3 Carl Albert

Game 6: No. 1 Northern-Enid 90, No. 2 UA Fort Smith 72

Sunday

Game 7: No. 1 Connors State vs. No. 1 Northern-Enid, 2 p.m

UA Fort Smith will begin its quest for a region tournament title against the Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa Mavericks at 6 p.m. at Oklahoma Baptist University’s Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.

It will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. The Mavericks, who are the No. 3 seed from the Bi-State West Division, won both of the regular-season encounters against the Lions, who are the No. 2 seed from the East Division.

Northern-Tonkawa won the first game 57-54 at the Stubblefield Center and won the second game 63-60 at Foster-Piper Fieldhouse.

Mavericks freshman Sterling Jackson converted a seldom-occurring four-point play with 1.4 seconds left to lead the Mavericks to the first win against the Lions. He finished with a team-high 18 points. In the second game, it was sophomores Demetrece Young and Sam Bartlett who did the damage for the Mavericks with 18 and 14 points, respectively.

UA Fort Smith (22-8) closed the regular season on a strong run, winning six of its final seven games. The lone loss during that run was to East Division champ Connors State at Melvin Self Fieldhouse in Warner, Okla.

The Lions are averaging 87.1 points per game with two players averaging double-figures in scoring. Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., is averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., is averaging 13.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Seven Lions are averaging five points or more per game.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, is averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game to go along with 8.2 points per game. Sophomore Tehran Cox of Nassau, Bahamas, is averaging a team high 4.5 assists per game.

The Lions will look to make their deepest run in the tournament during third-year coach Josh Newman’s tenure. UA Fort Smith lost to Seminole State in the first round in 2007 and lost to eventual tournament champion Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the semifinals a year ago.

Only the region champion will earn a berth in the NJCAA national tournament, which begins March 17 at Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan.

NJCAA REGION II TOURNAMENT

MEN

AT OBU NOBLE COMPLEX, SHAWNEE, OKLA.

Thursday

Game 1: No. 2 Western Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Carl Albert State, 1 p.m.

Game 2: No. 1 Northern-Enid vs. No. 4 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, 3 p.m.

Game 3: No. 2 UA Fort Smith vs. No. 3 Northern-Tonkawa, 6 p.m.

Game 4: No. 1 Connors State vs. No. 4 Seminole State, 8 p.m.

Saturday

Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 4, 1 p.m.

Game 6: winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.

Sunday

Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 2 p.m.

Athletic director Dustin Smith announced on Monday that UA Fort Smith has accepted an invitation to join the prestigious Heartland Conference, a now 10-member league based in Waco, Texas.

UA Fort Smith will begin play in the Heartland Conference with the start of the 2009-10 season.

“It’s a historic day for UA Fort Smith athletics as we continue our transition to NCAA Division II status,” Smith said. “We are thankful to now have a home, and we feel the Heartland Conference fits the mission and goals of our institution and athletic department.”

UA Fort Smith, which is in its final year as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, is currently in the second year of the three-year Division II membership process.

UA Fort Smith will be a provisional Division II member next season while competing in the Heartland Conference. UA Fort Smith’s teams, however, will not be eligible to compete in postseason play until the 2010-11 season, when it becomes a full-fledged member of Division II.

“We are excited about beginning play in Division II next year and being a member of the Heartland Conference,” UA Fort Smith chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran said. “We will be playing schools that will be on par with us. … This is a great moment.”

The Heartland Conference is the newest Division II conference. The conference, which was founded in 1999, covers a distance of more than 1,050 miles from north to south and 610 miles east to west.

UA Fort Smith will join current Heartland Conference members Dallas Baptist University, Incarnate Word University, St. Edward’s University, Lincoln University, St. Mary’s University, Newman University, Texas A&M International University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and the University of Texas - Permian Basin.

“We look forward to establishing ourselves at the Division II level, and the Heartland Conference will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our program – athletically and academically,” Smith said.

The Heartland Conference sponsors six men’s sports – cross country, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis – and seven women’s sports – cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, golf, softball and tennis.

UA Fort Smith currently competes in four men’s sports – basketball, baseball, golf and tennis – and four women’s sports – volleyball, basketball, golf and tennis. Next season, it also will field men’s and women’s cross country teams.

Smith said the Heartland Conference not only is a great fit for UA Fort Smith athletically but academically as well.

Universities in the Heartland Conference offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The strength of the student-athlete concept is well supported by the many NCAA scholar-athletes in each school, the high cumulative GPA of the student-athletes in each school and the high number of student-athletes who graduate from each institution in the Heartland Conference.

“We are proud of their commitment to academics at the conference level,” Smith said. “That’s what we expect of our student-athletes.”

Smith said he is looking forward to a long relationship with the Heartland Conference.

“We are excited about being a member of the Heartland Conference and look forward to playing in the conference for many years to come,” Smith said.

The Lions (22-8) earned the No. 2 seed from the Bi-State Conference East Division and will play the Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa Mavericks, the No. 3 seed from the West Division, at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Oklahoma Baptist University’s Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.

It will be the third meeting between the Lions and Mavericks. The Mavericks swept the regular-season crossover series, winning 57-54 at the Stubblefield Center on Nov. 24 and 63-60 at Tonkawa.

The Lady Lions (6-23) finished tied for third in the East Division with the Carl Albert State Lady Vikings but earned the No. 4 seed via the tiebreaker. They will play the Northern Oklahoma College - Enid Lady Jets, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Noble Complex.

It will be the third meeting between the Lady Lions and the Lady Jets. UA Fort Smith beat Northern-Enid 87-77 on Dec. 6 at Enid – a game the Lady Lions later forfeited – and Northern-Enid beat UA Fort Smith 76-74 in overtime on Jan. 20 at the Stubblefield Center.

Both the men’s and women’s games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com throughout the region tournament, which will conclude with the championship games on Sunday, March 8.

The Lions and Lady Lions will play their last regular-season game as members of the NJCAA. UA Fort Smith will compete at the NCAA Division II level next season.

Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game, and it will be homecoming. The games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

The Lions (21-8) will look to secure second place in the Bi-State Conference East Division and a No. 2 seed in next week’s NJCAA Region II tournament. UA Fort Smith is 4-3 in division play and is tied with Carl Albert for second place, but the Lions have the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage with the Vikings.

A loss to Eastern could push the Lions to third place or as low as fourth place depending on the outcome of Thursday’s games.

Connors State (22-7, 6-1) has already won the division and clinched a No. 1 seed in the region tournament, and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (17-12, 4-4) has qualified for the region tournament. Eastern Oklahoma (4-22, 0-7) has been eliminated from region tournament consideration.

UA Fort Smith, which routed Shorter College 115-54 on Monday night, beat Eastern 93-68 on Feb. 9 at C.C. Dunlap Fieldhouse in Wilburton, Okla. Four players scored in double-figures in that game as the Lions shot 51.3 percent from the field.

Eastern is coming off an 89-72 home loss to Carl Albert on Monday night.

The Lady Lions (5-23) can finish as high as third place and earn the No. 3 seed with a win against the Lady Mountaineers.

UA Fort Smith is currently tied with Carl Albert for third place at 4-3, but the teams split during the regular season. Carl Albert owns the tiebreaker based on a better overall region record.

If UA Fort Smith wins and Carl Albert beats division champ Connors State, the Lady Lions will finish fourth and be a No. 4 seed. If UA Fort Smith wins and Carl Albert loses, the Lady Lions will finish third and be a No. 3 seed. If UA Fort Smith and Carl Albert lose, UA Fort Smith will finish fourth and be a No. 4 seed.

Connors State has clinched the division title and a No. 1 seed, and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M will finish second and earn a No. 2 seed. Eastern (10-17, 1-6) has been eliminated from region tournament consideration.

The Lady Lions will be in action for the first time since beating Carl Albert 78-72 a week ago at Mick Thompson Fieldhouse in Poteau, Okla. Eastern is coming off an 86-76 home loss to Carl Albert on Thursday.

THURSDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

EASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Eastern Oklahoma State, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Eastern Oklahoma State (10-17, 1-6), UA Fort Smith (5-23, 3-4)

COACHES: Eastern Oklahoma State, Andy Mace; UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

THURSDAY’S TICKET

MEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. CARL ALBERT STATE COLLEGE

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Eastern Oklahoma State, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Eastern Oklahoma State (4-22, 0-7), UA Fort Smith (21-8, 4-3)

COACHES: Eastern Oklahoma State, Brenton Duncan; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

Six players scored in double-figures as UA Fort Smith dominated Shorter College 115-54 in nonconference play at the Stubblefield Center.

The game was originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off, but Shorter College didn’t arrive at the Stubblefield Center until about 8:45 p.m. because of transportation issues that occurred earlier in the afternoon.

Lions sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., hit a season-high five 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 22 points. Sophomore D’Angalo Jackson of Milwaukee, Wis., added a career-high 18 points.

Freshman Anthony Sanford of Memphis, Tenn., had a career-high 13 points, freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., had 13 points and freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, had 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

UA Fort Smith (21-8) led 65-29 at halftime. Parker Smith led Shorter College with 16 points.

MEN

UA FORT SMITH 115, SHORTER COLLEGE 54

Shorter 29 25 — 54

UA Fort Smith 65 50 — 115

Shorter: Hicks 2, Hurst 12, Burnett Jr. 4, Foster 4, Jones 4, Smith 16, Summers 2, Hall 2, Albright 6, Dunigan 2

UA Fort Smith (21-8): Williams 15, Bush 22, Cox 2, Cline 13, Kohlheim 7, Jackson 18, Keese 5, Rutledge 8, Johnson 12, Sanford 13

With the Lions trailing 65-64 with under 20 seconds to play, the Memphis, Tenn., freshman stole the ball from Carl Albert’s Jaron Jones and scored an easy layup to give the Lions the lead. Sanford then collected another steal on the Vikings’ next possession off a turnover by Jones that all but sealed the Lions’ 66-65 Bi-State Conference East Division win at Mick Thompson Fieldhouse.

UA Fort Smith (20-8) swept the regular-season series with its longtime rival and improved to 4-3 in division play. The Lions have already clinched a spot in next month’s NJCAA Region II tournament and are battling for a better seed.

Carl Albert (10-17) slipped to 3-3 and also is battling for a better seed in the region tournament.

It was Sanford’s only shot attempt of the game. He finished with four steals, three assists and three rebounds.

His late bucket was huge as sophomore LaDustin Williams missed a pair of free throws with four seconds left that opened the door slightly for a possible game-winning bucket by Carl Albert.

Bobby Lee’s desperation heave from way beyond 3-point range, however, was well off the mark as the buzzer sounded.

Williams, who’s from Jonesboro, Ark., led UA Fort Smith with 17 points, while sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., hit for 13 points. The Lions shot 45.5 percent from the field (25 of 55) and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line (12 of 18).

Carl Albert trailed by 10 points at halftime and fell behind 12 points on a bucket by freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark. The Vikings rallied to lead by as many as three points late on a bucket by Lee, who had 15 points.

Andy Garcia led Carl Albert with 17 points and was one of four Vikings to score in double-figures. Carl Albert shot 44.3 percent from the field (27 of 61) and 64.3 percent from the line (9 of 14).

MEN

UA FORT SMITH 66, CARL ALBERT 65

UA Fort Smith 35 31 — 66

Carl Albert 25 40 — 65

UA Fort Smith (20-8, 4-3): Williams 17, Bush 13, Cox 9, Cline 6, Johnson 6, Keese 6, Jackson 5, Rutledge 2, Sanford 2.

Carl Albert (10-17, 3-3): Garcia 17, Lee 15, Brutus 11, Jones 10, Omar 5, Kote 4, Hill 3.

Tip-off in this long-time border feud will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game at Mick Thompson Fieldhouse in Poteau, Okla. Both games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

It will be the final time the two programs, who are separated by a mere 34 miles and a state line, will play each other barring a chance encounter in next month’s NJCAA Region II tournament.

UA Fort Smith will compete at the NCAA Division II level next season, while Carl Albert will remain at the NJCAA level.

The Lady Lions (4-23, 2-4) are in fourth place in the East Division – a half-game behind third-place Carl Albert (17-9, 2-3). Connors State leads the division at 5-1, while Northeastern Oklahoma A&M is second at 4-2. Eastern Oklahoma State is last at 1-4.

The Lady Lions are coming off their worst loss of the season on Monday night – a 91-77 setback against No. 8 Connors State at Melvin Self Fieldhouse in Warner, Okla. The Cowgirls swept the division series with the Lady Lions.

UA Fort Smith allowed its most points of the season in the loss, eclipsing its previous season-high mark of 77 points allowed against Northern Oklahoma College - Enid on Dec. 6 and Connors State on Jan. 26. The Lady Lions were out-rebounded 57-39 by the Cowgirls and gave up 25 offensive rebounds.

Carl Albert (17-9, 2-3) is coming off a close 62-59 road loss at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on Monday night. The Lady Vikings lost the first encounter with the Lady Lions 75-65 – a game UA Fort Smith later forfeited because of an ineligible player.

Sophomore Lakyn Garrison of Wickes, Ark., hit for 23 points to lead the Lady Vikings in the first encounter with the Lady Lions despite foul trouble. Garrison, who is No. 2 in the nation in scoring, has verbally committed to Oklahoma State.

Garrison is averaging 27.9 points per game. Sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., scored 20 points to lead the Lady Lions in the first meeting with Carl Albert. Brown and sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., lead UA Fort Smith in scoring with each averaging 13.7 points per game.

The Lions (19-8, 3-3) are tied with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for third place in the division – a half-game behind second-place Carl Albert State (3-2) and two games behind division leader Connors State (5-1). Eastern Oklahoma State (0-5) is last.

UA Fort Smith is coming off a close 79-75 road loss at Connors State on Monday night. It was the Lions’ second loss to the Cowboys this season.

The Lions will look to sweep the division series against the Vikings, who lost to the Lions 76-74 in overtime at the Stubblefield Center in the first meeting. Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., led the Lions with 21 points in the first meeting.

Williams leads the Lions in scoring with 13.6 points per game.

Carl Albert (10-16, 3-2) has won two of its last three games since losing to UA Fort Smith. The Vikings are coming off a 73-69 road win at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on Monday night.

Bobby Lee led the Vikings with 23 points in the first game against the Lions. Lee leads the Vikings in scoring with 20.9 points per game.

THURSDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. CARL ALBERT STATE COLLEGE

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Mick Thompson Fieldhouse, Poteau, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked; Carl Albert State, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (4-23, 2-4), Carl Albert State (17-9, 2-3)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton; Carl Albert State, Jeff Tadtman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

THURSDAY’S TICKET

MEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. CARL ALBERT STATE COLLEGE

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Mick Thompson Fieldhouse, Poteau, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked; Carl Albert State, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (19-8, 3-3), Carl Albert State (10-16, 3-2)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; Carl Albert State, Mike St. John

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

Four players scored in double-figures as Connors State outlasted UA Fort Smith 79-75 to sweep the regular-season division series. The Cowboys (21-7) remained in complete control of the division at 5-1, while the Lions (19-8) slipped to 3-3 in division play.

The loss snapped the Lions’ three-game winning streak, and it was their first loss since losing to Connors State on Jan. 29 to start division play at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half but rallied to get within two points on a pair of free throws by LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., with 19.4 seconds left.

Connors State extended its lead to 77-74 on a free throw by Stephon Weaver with nine seconds left.

Sophomore Tehran Cox of Nassau, Bahamas, was fouled with 5.5 seconds left and made the first free throw to get the Lions within 77-75. He intentionally tried to miss the second free throw but didn’t hit the rim.

UA Fort Smith was forced to foul, sending J.J. Wesley to the line for Connors State. Wesley missed both free throws, but the second miss was rebounded by Rakeem Couch, who put the miss back in for the four-point final margin.

Weaver led the Cowboys with 22 points, while Chris Blake had 15, Couch 13 and Orlando Brown 10. Couch topped off his double-double with 13 rebounds. Connors State out-rebounded UA Fort Smith 43-31.

Sophomore D’Angalo Jackson of Milwaukee, Wis., and freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, had 13 points apiece to lead the Lions, while Williams finished with 11 points.

And most importantly, they still control their own destiny.

UA Fort Smith will face a tough test on Monday night, however, when it travels to Melvin Self Fieldhouse in Warner, Okla., to play Connors State College.

Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game. The games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

The Lions (19-7, 3-2) are tied for second in the East Division with Carl Albert State (9-16, 2-2) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (16-10, 3-2) and are one-game behind division leader Connors State (20-7, 4-1).

UA Fort Smith has won three in a row since beginning division play 0-2 and is coming off an impressive 74-66 win against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on Thursday night at the Stubblefield Center.

It will be the second meeting between UA Fort Smith and Connors State. The Cowboys beat the Lions 78-73 at the Stubblefield Center on Jan. 29 to open division play. Connors State’s only division loss was to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

The Lady Lions’ hopes for another division title were dampened a bit last week after the program forfeited 22 games after it was discovered they had played in ineligible player.

Still, the Lady Lions’ Region II tournament hopes are very much alive and well. UA Fort Smith (4-22, 2-3) is tied for third in the win column with Carl Albert State College (17-8, 2-2). Connors State College leads the league at 4-1, and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M is second at 3-2. Eastern Oklahoma State is last in the division at 1-4.

The top four teams from each division advance to the Region II tournament.

The Lady Lions are coming off a lopsided 85-60 win against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on Thursday night at the Stubblefield Center. UA Fort Smith swept the regular-season division series with the Lady Norse.

It will be the second meeting between UA Fort Smith and Connors State. The Cowgirls beat the Lady Lions 77-75 on a last-second shot at the Stubblefield Center on Jan. 29.

MONDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. CONNORS STATE COLLEGE

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Melvin Self Fieldhouse, Warner, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, No. 7; Connors State, No. 8

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (4-22, 2-3), Connors State (24-2, 4-1)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton; Connors State, Eddie Kite

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

MONDAY’S TICKET

MEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. CONNORS STATE COLLEGE

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Melvin Self Fieldhouse, Warner, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked; Connors State, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (19-7, 3-2), Connors State (20-7, 4-1)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; Connors State, Bill Muse

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

UA Fort Smith (19-7) won its third game in a row and climbed back in the hunt for the division title at 3-2. NEO (16-10), which beat UA Fort Smith 79-73 earlier this season, slipped to 3-2 in division play.

Williams, who is from Jonesboro, Ark., was 10-of-16 shooting from the field – he was 1 of 1 from 3-point range – and was 4-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. He also had a team-high three steals.

The quick-footed guard was one of three Lions to score in double-figures. Sophomore Paul Kohlheim of Tupelo, Miss., scored 14 points and had a team-high nine rebounds.

UA Fort Smith shot 49.2 percent from the field (31 of 63) and held NEO to 45.6 percent shooting from the field (26 of 57). The Lions also forced 24 turnovers, including 13 steals.

The Lions led 42-35 at halftime and maintained its lead throughout the second half as the Norsemen made repeated runs at the lead.

Raphael Brown led the Norsemen with 11 points, and Phillipe Martin chipped in 10 points. Martin scorched the Lions for 27 points in the first encounter.

UA Fort Smith 85, NEO 60

WOMEN – Three Lady Lions scored in double-figures as UA Fort Smith beat Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for the second time this season.

UA Fort Smith (4-22) improved to 2-3 in Bi-State East Division play, while NEO (19-6) slipped to 3-2 in division play.

Sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., hit for 18 points, while sophomore Dannah Kemp of Alma, Ark. chipped in 16 points, including four 4-pointers. Freshman Tracey Parsons of Trenton, N.J., added 12 points and collected a team-high nine rebounds.

UA Fort Smith out-rebounded NEO 50-35, and every Lady Lion who suited up had at least two rebounds.

The Lady Lions shot just 43.8 percent from the field (32 of 73), but they turned a close game at halftime (30-26) into a runaway in the second half behind a sizzling 55.3 percent (21 of 38) shooting effort.

Kali Bassett and Megan Fraley each had 12 points to lead NEO, while Jelena Cerina chipped in 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

UA Fort Smith, which committed 27 turnovers against Eastern Oklahoma on Monday, committed only 15 turnovers and forced 23 turnovers. Parsons led the Lady Lions with three steals.

MEN

UA FORT SMITH 74, NEO 66

NEO 35 31 — 66

UA Fort Smith 42 32 — 74

NEO (16-10, 3-2): Brown 11, Martin 10, Ross 9, Dos Santos 8, King 8, Davis 6, Cormier 5, Pigatto 4, Elliott 3, Moore 2.

UA Fort Smith (19-7, 3-2): Williams 25, Kohlheim 14, Johnson 11, Cline 6, Rutledge 5, Bush 4, Jackson 4, Keese 3, Cox 2.

WOMEN

NO. 7 UA FORT SMITH 85, NEO 60

NEO 26 34 — 60

UA Fort Smith 30 55 — 85

NEO (19-6, 3-2): Bassett 12, Fraley 12, Cerina 10, Woodard 8, Rees 7, Markham 5, Mekeel 4, McKinney 2.

UA Fort Smith (4-22, 2-3): Brown 18, Kemp 16, Parsons 12, Sanders 9, Boyd 8, Williams 6, Arnold 6, Duffey 5, Johnson 5.

And it doesn’t get any easier.

UA Fort Smith will begin the second round of division play on Thursday when it hosts Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College at the Stubblefield Center. Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game, and the games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

The No. 7 Lady Lions (23-2, 3-1) are locked in a three-way tie for first place in the division with No. 9 Connors State College and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, while the Lions (18-7, 2-2) are just one game behind division co-leaders Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Connors State.

As part of their second-round opener on Thursday, the Lady Lions and Lions will join countless other college basketball teams in lending their support for breast cancer awareness by participating in the WBCA Pink Zone™ promotion.

The WBCA Pink Zone™ initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.

The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone™, formerly known as “Think Pink”, in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women’s basketball, on campuses and in communities.

All fans who wear pink will receive $2 off the price of regular admission, and fans wearing a UA Fort Smith Pink Zone™ t-shirt will be admitted free. Proceeds will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. For more information about the Pink Zone™ promotion or to contribute, contact UA Fort Smith assistant athletic director Beth Presley at (479) 788-7575.

In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, more than 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising over $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research.

The Lady Lions are coming off a lopsided 94-59 win against Eastern Oklahoma State College on Monday night at C.C. Dunlap Fieldhouse in Wilburton, Okla. UA Fort Smith forced a season-high 53 turnovers, including 30 steals, in the win.

It was the third win in a row by the Lady Lions, whose only division loss was to Connors State College.

The Lady Lions won their first division encounter against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, beating the Lady Norse 68-63 on Jan. 31 at Miami, Okla. UA Fort Smith beat Northeastern Oklahoma A&M despite shooting only 34.8 percent from the field (24 of 69).

Four Lady Lions scored in double-figures during that game with sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., posting a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Norse enjoy a considerable height advantage over the Lady Lions, boasting four players 6-foot or taller. Sophomore guard Megan Fraley hit for a team-high 20 points against the Lady Lions in the first game, while sophomore forward Skye Rees, who stands 6-2, had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lions are coming off an impressive 93-68 road win at Eastern Oklahoma State College on Monday night. It was the second win in a row for the Lions and their fourth road win of the year. UA Fort Smith will look to exact a little revenge against the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, which beat the Lions 79-73 in the first encounter.

Sophomore LaDustin Williams had 20 points and sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., had 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Lions.

UA Fort Smith, however, struggled to contain Golden Norseman Phillipe Martin, who hit for 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the line. He was one of three Norsemen to score in double-figures.

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M took advantage of its opportunities at the free-throw line, sinking 81.8 percent (27 of 33) from the stripe.

THURSDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M COLLEGE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 7

RECORDS: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (19-5, 3-1); UA Fort Smith (23-2, 3-1)

COACHES: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Jim Rowland; UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

THURSDAY’S TICKET

MEN

NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M COLLEGE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (16-9, 3-1), UA Fort Smith (18-7, 2-2)

COACHES: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Dustin Grover; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

Sophomores David Cline of Rogers, Ark., and LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., hit for 20 and 19 points, respectively, as the Lions routed the Eastern Oklahoma State College Mountaineers 93-68 on Monday night at C.C. Dunlap Fieldhouse.

UA Fort Smith (18-7, 2-2) remained one game behind the East Division leaders but stayed well in the hunt for a division title with the second round of division play beginning on Thursday against division co-leader Northeastern Oklahoma A&M at the Stubblefield Center.

Eastern (9-15, 0-4) remained in last place in the division.

UA Fort Smith led 40-33 at halftime but methodically pulled away in the second half as its pressure defense proved too much for the much bigger Mountaineers to handle.

Every Lion who suited up scored at least two points. Sophomore Paul Kohlheim of Tupelo, Miss., had eight points and led the Lions with nine rebounds.

Ronnie Hishaw, who is listed at 295 pounds, led Eastern with 20 points.

MEN

UA FORT SMITH 93, EASTERN OKLAHOMA 68

UA Fort Smith 40 53 — 93

Eastern 33 35 — 68

UA Fort Smith (18-7, 2-2): Cline 20, Williams 19, Cox 12, Jackson 6, Keese 7, Rutledge 10, Kohlheim 8, Johnson 9, Sanford 2.

Eastern (9-15, 0-4): McDonald 4, Dawkins 18, Hall 3, Hishaw 20, Liberty 9, Pelley 5, Roby 8.

The win snapped a season-long three-game losing skid by the Lions (17-7), who improved to 1-2 in division play. The Vikings (8-15) suffered their first division loss, slipping to 1-1.

Williams, a sophomore guard from Jonesboro, Ark., scored four of the Lions’ 13 points in overtime and finished with a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds. He was 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line.

He was one of three Lions to score in double-figures. Sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., hit for 18 points, and sophomore Paul Kohlheim of Tupelo, Miss., chipped in 13 points. Hanson and Kohlheim had five rebounds apiece.

UA Fort Smith trailed 35-33 at halftime, but Williams scored on short jumper to start the second half to tie the game at 35 points apiece. Carl Albert’s Kidani Brutus put the Vikings back in front on a layup, but sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., answered for the Lions with a layup to tie the game again.

The Vikings regained the lead on a layup by Andy Garcia and led by as many as nine points in the second half.

UA Fort Smith tied the game twice as the final minutes rolled off the clock in regulation but never took the lead. Garcia, who had 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds, missed a last-chance shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime tied at 63 points.

Carl Albert led by as many as three points (70-67) in overtime on a layup by Bobby Lee, who led the Vikings with 23 points, and a free throw by Ricky Hill. UA Fort Smith rallied to tie the game twice more in the waning minutes – the last time on a pair of free throws by Hanson – only to have Carl Albert tie the game one final time (74-74) on a pair of free throws by Hill.

UA Fort Smith didn’t miss in overtime, sinking 4 of 4 shots from the field and 4 of 4 free throws. The Lions shot 47.5 percent from the field (28 of 59) for the game and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Carl Albert made only 4 of 8 shots in overtime – it was 0 of 4 from deep – and hit only 3 of 4 free throws. The Vikings shot 48.3 percent from the field (29 of 60) for the game and sank 68.8 percent from the free-throw line (16 of 19).

MEN

UA FORT SMITH 76, CARL ALBERT STATE 74

Carl Albert 35 28 11 — 74

UA Fort Smith 33 30 13 — 76

Carl Albert (8-15, 1-1): Lee 23, Garcia 19, Brutus 11, Hill 9, Omar 6, Kote 4, Jones 2.

UA Fort Smith (17-7, 1-2): Williams 21, Hanson 18, Kohlheim 13, Bush 9, Cox 4, Cline 4, Jackson 4, Sanford 3.

The two longtime rivals will clash in the latest installment of their border feud on Monday night when UA Fort Smith hosts Carl Albert in East Division play at the Stubblefield Center.

Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game. The games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

It will be the first of two final regular-season meetings between the two longtime rivals. UA Fort Smith, which will compete at the NCAA Division II level next season, will travel to Poteau, Okla., on Feb. 19 for the final game of the home-and-home series.

The No. 7 Lady Lions (21-2) are 1-1 in division play after earning their first division win on Saturday with a 68-63 win against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. NEO (17-5, 1-1) beat Carl Albert 90-74 in their division opener on Thursday night at Mick Thompson Fieldhouse in Poteau, Okla.

UA Fort Smith, whose only losses have been by two points to Northern Oklahoma College - Enid (76-74 OT) and No. 9 Connors State College (77-75), is averaging 89.3 points per game and allowing only 65.3 points per game.

Sophomores Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., and Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Kan., lead the Lady Lions in scoring with 14.5 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. Nine of the 12 Lady Lions are averaging five points or more per game.

Brown and sophomore Vasha Sanders of Little Rock, Ark., lead the team in rebounding with 7.1 and 6.4 rebounds per game, respectively. Five Lady Lions are averaging four rebounds or more per game.

The Lady Vikings (15-7, 0-1) boast one of the most prolific scorers in the women’s junior college ranks in sophomore Lakyn Garrison.

Garrison, who transferred from NCAA Division II Harding University, is No. 2 in the nation in scoring with 27.8 points per game. She recently set a new NJCAA single-game record with 23 made field goals during the Lady Vikings’ 126-37 win against Western Oklahoma State College, during which she scored 52 points.

Carl Albert is averaging 82.3 points per game and allowing 67.7 points per game.

The Lions (16-7, 0-2) return to the Stubblefield Center after suffering a 79-73 road loss to NEO on Saturday. UA Fort Smith has lost three in row, including both of its division games. All but one of the Lions’ seven losses have been by six points or less.

UA Fort Smith is averaging 88 points per game on the season – the Lions are averaging only 68.3 points per game during their three-game losing skid – and is allowing 73.8 points per game.

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., leads the Lions in scoring with 14.6 points per game and is one of four Lions averaging double-figures in scoring. Bush has led the Lions in scoring in seven of their 23 games.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, leads UA Fort Smith with six rebounds per game off the bench, while Bush and sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., are averaging 5.5 and 5.4 rebounds per game, respectively.

After losing 10 of its first 12 games, Carl Albert has won six of its last 10 games. The Vikings (8-14, 1-0) have won three in a row, including a 90-88 overtime win against NEO on Thursday at Mick Thompson Fieldhouse to open division play.

Four players are averaging double-figures in scoring for the Vikings led by Bobby Lee with 20.5 points per game. Andy Garcia leads the Vikings with 8.9 rebounds per game.

Carl Albert is averaging 74.4 points per game and allowing 73.1 points per game.

MONDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

CARL ALBERT STATE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Carl Albert, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 7

RECORDS: Carl Albert (15-7, 0-1), UA Fort Smith (21-2, 1-1)

COACHES: Carl Albert, Jeff Tadtman; UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: Alma Night, Fort Smith Radio Group Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout

MONDAY’S TICKET

MEN

CARL ALBERT STATE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Carl Albert, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Carl Albert (8-14, 1-0), UA Fort Smith (16-7, 0-2)

COACHES: Carl Albert, Mike St. John; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: Alma Night, Fort Smith Radio Group Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout

It was the third consecutive loss for the Lions (16-7), who slipped to 0-2 in division play, and the Lions’ fifth loss in the past eight games. The Norsemen (14-9) improved to 1-1 in division play in handing the Lions their fourth road loss in seven road games.

UA Fort Smith trailed by 11 points at halftime (39-28) but rallied to tie the game three times late in the second half.

A dunk by sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., off an assist from Tehran Cox of Nassau, Bahamas, tied the game for the final time at 54 points, and that’s as close as the Lions came to ever taking the lead in the final 20 minutes.

Williams led UA Fort Smith with 20 points and was one of four Lions to score in double-figures. Northeastern Oklahoma regained the lead on a pair of free throws by Phillipe Martin, who led the Norsemen with 27 points, and pushed its lead to double-digits down the stretch to earn their first division win.

UA Fort Smith shot 54.3 percent from the field (19 of 35) in the second half in rallying back but finished the game shooting 48.4 percent (30 of 62). The Lions, who hit just 52.9 percent from the free-throw line (9 of 17), also committed 20 turnovers.

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., chipped in 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds, sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., had 12 points and six rebounds and freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., had 10 points.

Freshman Anthony Sanford of Memphis, Tenn., had just five points but dished out a team-high six assists and had a team-high four steals.

Along with Martin, Jamell Cormier chipped in 11 points, and Raphael Brown added 10 points to pace the Norsemen, who shot 41.1 percent (23 of 56) from the field and a sizzling 81.8 percent from the free-throw line (27 of 33).

Tony Ross had seven points and seven rebounds for the Norsemen, who were out-rebounded by the Lions 36-35.

MEN

NEO 79, UA FORT SMITH 73

UA Fort Smith 28 45 — 73

NEO 39 40 — 79

UA Fort Smith (16-7): Williams 20, Bush 15, Hanson 12, Cline 10, Rutledge 7, Sanford 5, Cunningham 2, Kohlheim 2.

NEO (14-9): Martin 27, Cormier 11, Brown 10, Elliott 8, Ross 7, King 5, Dos Santos 4, Coimbra 3, Davis 2, Forrest 2.

Yet, Connors State College accomplished that feat on Thursday night as the No. 9 Cowgirls upset the No. 7 Lady Lions 77-75 and the Cowboys knocked off the Lions 78-73 at the Stubblefield Center.

It was the first time UA Fort Smith had been swept at home in more than seven years.

UA Fort Smith will have little time to ponder over their surprising losses. The Lady Lions and Lions will resume Bi-State Conference East Division play on Saturday when they travel to Miami, Okla., to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.

Tip-off will be 1 p.m. for the women’s game and 3 p.m. for the men’s game. The games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

The Lady Lions (20-2, 0-1), who won 19 in a row to start the season, have now lost two of their last three games. Thursday’s loss was the Lady Lions’ first loss to the Cowgirls since Friday, March 7, 2002, when Connors State beat UA Fort Smith 66-51 in the first round of the NJCAA Region II tournament at Shawnee, Okla.

It is the most home losses the Lady Lions have had in a season since losing four home games during the 2006-07 season, when they lost to Coffeyville Community College (80-79), New Mexico Junior College (62-49), South Plains College (81-55) and Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa (64-59).

Both of UA Fort Smith’s losses this season have been by two points.

Three Lady Lions are averaging double-figures in scoring with sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., scoring a team-high 14.5 points per game. Sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., is averaging 13.9 points and a team-high seven rebounds per game.

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (17-4) has only lost to Coffeyville Community College (twice), Neosho County Community College and Northern Oklahoma College - Enid.

The Lady Norse are coming off a 90-74 win at Carl Albert State on Thursday night in their East Division opener.

Three players are averaging double-figures in scoring for the Lady Norse with sophomore Skye Rees leading the way with 17.3 points per game. Freshman Jelena Cerina leads the Lady Norse in rebounding with 7.1 rebounds per game.

The Lions recent struggles continued as they dropped their second consecutive home game and their third game in the last five outings.

UA Fort Smith trailed by 12 points at halftime against Connors State and fell behind by 16 points before rallying late to close the gap to as few as four points. The Lions could never completely recover, however, losing 78-73.

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., had 18 points in the loss and continues to lead the Lions in scoring with 14.5 points per game. Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, leads the Lions in rebounding with six rebounds off the bench.

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (13-9) is coming off a 90-88 overtime loss at Carl Albert State on Thursday night.

Two Norsemen are averaging double-figures in scoring with freshman Phillipe Martin leading the way with 12.3 points per game. Martin is the Norsemen’s top rebounder, too, with 4.9 rebounds per game.

SATURDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M

TIME: 1 p.m.

SITE: NEO Fieldhouse, Miami, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, No. 7; NEO, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (20-2), NEO (17-4)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton; NEO, Jim Rowland

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

MEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M

TIME: 3 p.m.

SITE: NEO Fieldhouse, Miami, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked; NEO, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (16-6), NEO (13-9)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; NEO, Dustin Grover

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

Stephon Weaver scored a game-high 33 points as the Connors State Cowboys beat the Lions 78-73 in the Bi-State Conference East Division opener on Thursday night at the Stubblefield Center.

It was the second consecutive home loss for the Lions (16-6, 0-1), who lost to Western Oklahoma State in overtime a week ago. It also was the division opener for Connors State (16-6, 1-0), who, like the Lions, had their Monday division opener postponed because of wintry weather.

Weaver, a sophomore from Forrest City, Ark., was 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 13-of-16 shooting at the line to lead the Cowboys, who shot 42.9 percent (21 of 49) from the field and 74.4 percent (32 of 43) from the line.

He sank two of the Cowboys’ four 3-pointers – they were 4-of-10 shooting from deep.

Connors State led 32-20 at halftime and widened its lead to as many as 16 points midway through the second half. UA Fort Smith cut its deficit to as few as four points late but couldn’t complete the comeback.

The Cowboys won despite committing 24 turnovers.

UA Fort Smith shot 37.9 percent (25 of 66) from the field, including just 32 percent (8 of 25) from deep. The Lions struggled at the free-throw line, where they shot just 45.5 percent (15 of 33).

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., led the Lions with 18 points, while sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., chipped in 10 points off the bench to round out the Lions’ double-figure scorers.

MEN

CONNORS STATE 78, UA FORT SMITH 73

Connors State 32 46 — 78

UA Fort Smith 20 53 — 73

Connors State (16-6): Weaver 33, Brown 13, Washington 9, Butler 8, Blake 6, Jones 6, Couch 3.

UA Fort Smith (16-6): Bush 18, Cunningham 10, Sanford 9, Williams 9, Johnson 8, Hanson 6, Rutledge 5, Cline 4, Cox 3, Jackson 1.

UA Fort Smith was originally scheduled to begin East Division play on Monday at Miami, Okla., against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, but those games were postponed twice because of wintry weather and have been rescheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. (women) and 4 p.m. (men).

So now, UA Fort Smith will open division play on Thursday when it hosts Connors State College at the Stubblefield Center. Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game.

The games will be broadcast on KQBK-FM 104.7. UA Fort Smith is coming off an unexpected week-long layoff, having last played on Jan. 22 against Western Oklahoma State College.

The Lady Lions are coming off a season-best performance against Western Oklahoma during which they scored a season-high 121 points and allowed a season-low 50 points.

UA Fort Smith (20-1) and Connors State (19-1), who both have lost to Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, will renew a longtime, heated division rivalry that dates back to the days when Lady Lions coach Louis Whorton and former Cowgirls coach Monte Madewell matched wits with national rankings and division bragging rights on the line.

It will be a rematch of last year’s NJCAA Region II tournament championship game in which the Lady Lions beat the Cowgirls for a trip to the national tournament. The Lady Lions, who finished third in the nation a year ago, are No. 7 in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 25 rankings, and the Cowgirls are ranked No. 9.

UA Fort Smith is averaging 91 points per game – the Lady Lions are No. 2 in the nation in scoring – and allowing 65 points per game.

Sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., leads the Lady Lions in scoring with 14.3, while sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Kan., is averaging 13.8 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game.

Connors State is averaging 80.1 points per game and allowing 53.3 points per game. Sophomore Gabrielle Rosiji leads the Cowgirls in scoring with 15.9 points per game and rebounding with 9.4 rebounds per game.

The Lions will look for a new beginning with the start of division play. UA Fort Smith is coming off a 63-59 overtime home loss to Western Oklahoma.

After resuming crossover play on Jan. 7, the Lions lost three of their final seven Bi-State Conference crossover games.

Four of the Lions’ five losses have been by four points or less with the lone exception being a 17-point loss to Western on Dec. 5 at Altus, Okla.

UA Fort Smith, which fell out of this week’s NJCAA Division I Top 25, is averaging 89.4 points per game, while allowing 73.4 points per game.

Four Lions are averaging double-figures in scoring led by sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., who is averaging 14.4 points per game. Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, is averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game off the bench.

Four players are averaging double-figures for Connors State (15-6) with Chris Washington leading the way with about 18 points per game.

THURSDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

CONNORS STATE COLLEGE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Connors State, No. 9; UA Fort Smith, No. 7

RECORDS: Connors State (19-1), UA Fort Smith (20-1)

COACHES: Connors State, Eddie Kite; UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton

BROADCAST: KQBK-FM 104.7

PROMOTIONS: Southside Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Shootout

THURSDAY’S TICKET

MEN

CONNORS STATE COLLEGE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Connors State, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Connors State (15-6), UA Fort Smith (16-5)

COACHES: Connors State, Bill Muse; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KQBK-FM 104.7

PROMOTIONS: Southside Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Shootout

The games have again been rescheduled for Saturday afternoon at Miami, Okla. Tip-off will be 2 p.m. for the women’s game and 4 p.m. for the men’s game.

The games have tentatively been rescheduled for Tuesday (Jan. 27) at Miami, Okla., weather permitting. Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game.

First up for the Lions will be Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Norsemen, who upset the Lions in the semifinals of last year’s NJCAA Region II tournament on their way to a region title and national tournament appearance.

Tip-off will be 8 p.m. at Miami, Okla., and the game will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com

UA Fort Smith (16-5) went 7-5 against the West Division in crossover play and is coming off a 63-59 overtime loss to Western Oklahoma State College on Thursday. After resuming crossover play on Jan. 7, the Lions lost three of their final seven crossover games.

Four of the Lions’ five losses have been by four points or less with the lone exception being a 17-point loss to Western on Dec. 5 at Altus, Okla.

UA Fort Smith, which slipped to No. 19 in last week’s NJCAA Division I Top 25, is averaging 89.4 points per game, while allowing 73.4 points per game.

Four Lions are averaging double-figures in scoring led by sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., who is averaging 14.4 points per game. Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, is averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game off the bench.

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (13-8) went 7-4 in crossover play against the West Division – the Norsemen have a make-up game against Western Oklahoma on Feb. 25 – and is coming off an 86-80 overtime loss at Northern Oklahoma College - Enid on Thursday night.

Two Norsemen are averaging double-figures in scoring with freshman Phillipe Martin leading the way with 12.3 points per game. Martin is the Norsemen’s top rebounder, too, with 4.9 rebounds per game.

MONDAY’S TICKET

MEN

UA FORT SMITH VS. NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: NEO Fieldhouse, Miami, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, No. 19; Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (16-5), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (13-8)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Dustin Grover

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

Seven players scored in double-figures as the No. 4 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions beat the Western Oklahoma State College Lady Pioneers 121-50 on Thursday night in Bi-State Conference crossover play at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (20-1) posted its 18th 20-win season in the 33-year history of the program and its 17th 20-win effort under 23-year head coach Louis Whorton.

The Lady Lions, who are the favorites to win the Bi-State East Division, finished 9-1 against the West Division in crossover play.

UA Fort Smith, whose only loss was to Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, scored its most points in a game this season while allowing its fewest points of the year.

The Lady Lions’ previous high-point mark this season was 111 points against Murray State College, and their previous mark for fewest points allowed was 52 against Murray State College.

UA Fort Smith shot a season-best 58.8 percent from the field (47 of 80) and made a season-high 13 3-pointers. Sophomore Dannah Kemp of Alma, Ark. was 4 of 9 from 3-point range, while sophomore Donica Cosby of Coldwater, Miss., was 4 of 4 from deep.

Freshman Monica Williams of Horn Lake, Miss., scored a career-high 18 points and topped off her double-double with 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Lions, who led 58-14 at halftime. Freshman Celeste Key of Delight, Ark., also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Every Lady Lion who suited up scored, and seven scored in double-figures.

Western (7-12) shot just 32 percent from the field (18 of 56) but did hit seven 3-pointers – five in the second half. The Lady Pioneers committed 32 turnovers.

Sharee Roberts and Chrystal Davis led Western with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Western 63, No. 19 UA Fort Smith 59 (OT)

MEN – Western’s Akeem Bennett broke a 59-all tie with a layup late in overtime and sank two free throws with under two seconds left to lift the Pioneers past the Lions for the second time this season.

UA Fort Smith (16-5) finished 7-5 in Bi-State Conference crossover play against the West Division with two losses to both Western and Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa and an overtime loss to Murray State College.

Western (16-2), which handed the Lions their worst loss (17 points) of the year on Dec. 5 at Altus, Okla., finished 11-1 in crossover play with its only loss coming against Connors State College.

Bennett led the Pioneers with 14 points, while Ronald Shaw chipped in 13 points. Williams Pratt had a team-high eight rebounds to help the Pioneers out-rebound the Lions 46-40.

UA Fort Smith led 28-20 at halftime but was outscored 33-25 in the second half. The Lions needed a late 3-pointer by sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., to tie the game and force overtime.

The Lions are 2-2 in overtime games this season.

UA Fort Smith shot just 32.3 percent from the field (21 of 65) and shot only 14.3 percent from 3-point range (2 of 14).

Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., led the Lions with 17 points, while sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., chipped in 15 points. Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, had a team-high eight rebounds off the bench.

Western shot 40.7 percent from the field (24 of 59) and 25 percent from 3-point range (4 of 16).

WOMEN

NO. 4 UA FORT SMITH 121, WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 50

Western 14 36 — 50

UA Fort Smith 58 63 — 121

Western (7-12): Roberts 14, Davis 11, Vanterpool 8, Nickelson 7, Harris 6, Shaw 4

UA Fort Smith (20-1): Williams 18, Kemp 16, Cosby 16, Parsons 14, Boyd 13, Key 12, Johnson 11, Arnold 9, Brown 8, Sanders 4

MEN

WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 63, NO. 19 UA FORT SMITH 59 (OT)

Western 20 33 10 — 63

UA Fort Smith 28 25 6 — 59

Western (16-2): Bennett 14, Shaw 13, Cutler 9, Sheppard 9, Pratt 7, Bouie 6, Chambers 5

UA Fort Smith (16-5): Williams 17, Bush 15, Johnson 5, Cunningham 5, Kohlheim 4, Sanford 4, Rutledge 4, Cline 2, Hanson 2, Jackson 1

Tip-off will be 6 p.m. for the women’s game and 8 p.m. for the men’s game. The games will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

It will be the final tune-up for both UA Fort Smith teams before they begin defense of their East Division titles against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on Monday at Miami, Okla.

The Lions (16-4), who are among the favorites to win the East Division again, are 7-4 against the West Division in crossover play with losses to Northern Oklahoma College – Tonkawa (twice), Murray State College and Western Oklahoma State.

UA Fort Smith, which plummeted to No. 19 in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 25 released on Wednesday afternoon, will look for a little revenge against Western Oklahoma State, which handed their Lions their worst loss (69-52) of the season on Dec. 5 in Altus, Okla.

The Pioneers held the Lions to 34.7 percent shooting (17 of 49) from the field during the first encounter, including just a 25-percent effort (5 of 20) from 3-point range. Western also out-rebounded UA Fort Smith 36-20, and the Pioneers had 12 offensive rebounds.

Western shot 52.4 percent from the field (22 of 42) and hit 46.7 percent from 3-point range (7 of 15).

Sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., was the only Lion to score in double-figures, finishing with just 14 points.

Since losing to Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa on the road last week, UA Fort Smith has won two in a row, including a 91-68 win against Northern Oklahoma College - Enid on Tuesday night at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lions, who have won 13 of 14 home games this season, are averaging 90.9 points per game – they are No. 21 in the nation in scoring – and are allowing 73.9 points per game. Sophomore Jenirro Bush leads the Lions in scoring with 14.4 points per game, while freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game off the bench.

Western (14-2) was in action on Wednesday night at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, Okla. The Pioneers, who have received votes in the previous national polls but aren’t ranked, have losses to Odessa College and Connors State College, which competes in the East Division.

Five Pioneers are scoring in double-figures led by sophomore Kendall Cutler with 14.7 points per game. Sophomore Tadre Sheppard leads the Pioneers with nine rebounds per game.

The Lady Lions find themselves in a very unfamiliar situation going into Thursday’s crossover finale. They’re coming off their first loss of the season.

UA Fort Smith (19-1) lost 76-74 in overtime to Northern Oklahoma College - Enid on Tuesday night at the Stubblefield Center. It was the Lady Lions’ first home loss since Nov. 27, 2006, when Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa beat UA Fort Smith 64-59.

The Lady Lions, who are 8-1 against the West Division in crossover play, will try again to reach the 20-win plateau for the second year in a row and the 18th time in the 33-year history of the program.

UA Fort Smith also will look to sweep Western, which lost 104-62 to the Lady Lions on Dec. 5 at Altus, Okla.

Four Lady Lions scored in double-figures in that lopsided win with sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., lead the way with 28 points.

WEDNESDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 6 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Western Oklahoma, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 4

RECORDS: Western Oklahoma (N/A), UA Fort Smith (19-1)

COACHES: Western Oklahoma, Janice Hardwick; UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: Van Buren Night, Fort Smith Classic Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout

MEN

WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Western Oklahoma, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 19

RECORDS: Western Oklahoma (14-2), UA Fort Smith (16-4)

COACHES: Western Oklahoma, Rolando De La Barrera; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: Van Buren Night, Fort Smith Classic Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout

The former Fayetteville Christian High School standout dished out a career-high 13 assists to help all but two of his teammates get in on the scoring action as No. 11 UA Fort Smith rolled to a 91-68 win against the Jets in Bi-State Conference crossover play.

UA Fort Smith (16-4), which swept Northern - Enid in the home-and-home series, improved to 7-4 against the West Division in crossover play.

The Lions, who compete in the East Division, will finish crossover play on Thursday when they host the Western Oklahoma State College Pioneers at the Stubblefield Center.

Four Lions scored in double-figures in the lopsided win – UA Fort Smith’s second consecutive win – with sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., leading the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds, which tied his season-high mark.

Bush shot 50 percent from 3-point range (4 of 8) and netted almost half of the Lions’ shots from deep. UA Fort Smith shot 48 percent from the field (31 of 64) and 41 percent from 3-point range (9 of 22).

Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., and sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., each chipped in 17 points apiece, and freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., added 11 points.

UA Fort Smith held Northern - Enid to just 36 percent shooting from the field (21 of 59) and just 32 percent from deep (7 of 22).

Cox’s former teammate at Fayetteville Christian, Northern - Enid’s Aaron McHenry, hit five 3-pointers in the first half on his way to 16 points but was held to just five points in the second half.

McHenry’s team-high 21 points came on 6-of-16 shooting from the field – he was 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range – and 4-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line. Wayne Runnels hit for 19 points for the Jets and topped off his double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds.

Northern Oklahoma - Enid 76, No. 4 UA Fort Smith 74 (OT)

WOMEN – And then, there were none.

UA Fort Smith became the last Bi-State Conference team to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, losing in overtime in crossover play.

The No. 4 Lady Lions rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to take the lead late, but the Lady Jets were able to tie the game and force overtime. In overtime, Northern - Enid tied the game at 74 points on a layup by Darcie Dick and took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Deeva Vaughn.

Vaughn finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Dick had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., led UA Fort Smith (19-1) with 20 points and topped off her double-double with 10 rebounds. Sophomore Vasha Sanders of Little Rock, Ark., posted a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, and sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Northern - Enid held UA Fort Smith to a season-low 26 percent shooting performance (25 of 98), which including a sluggish 18-percent effort from 3-point range (6 of 34). The Lady Lions sank only 56 percent of their free throws (18 of 32).

MEN

NO. 11 UA FORT SMITH 91, NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE - ENID 68

Northern-Enid 37 31 — 68

UA Fort Smith 38 53 — 91

Northern-Enid (13-6): McHenry 21, Runnels 19, B. Smith 12, Lay 7, Grant 5, T. Smith 2, Pietrowicz 2

UA Fort Smith (16-4): Bush 24, Williams 17, Hanson 17, Cline 12, Cunningham 7, Cox 6, Johnson 3, Jackson 3, Kohlheim 2

WOMEN

NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE - ENID 76, NO. 4 UA FORT SMITH 74 (OT)

Northern-Enid 39 31 6 — 76

UA Fort Smith 30 40 4 — 74

Northern-Enid (14-4): Vaughn 27, Dick 12, Haffey 11, Moses 9, Bullis 6, Goldwire 4, Brzozowski 4, Hankins 3.

UA Fort Smith (19-1): Boyd 20, Brown 15, Johnson 11, Sanders 11, Cosby 5, Arnold 5, Kemp 4, Williams 2, Duffey 1.

UA Fort Smith, which is among the favorites to win the East Division, will play its final two Bi-State crossover games against the West Division this week at the Stubblefield Center, where the Lions are 12-1 this season.

The Lions will host the Northern Oklahoma College - Enid Jets on Tuesday and host the Western Oklahoma State College Pioneers on Thursday.

Tip-off for Tuesday’s game against the Jets will be 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on KOOL-FM 104.7 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

UA Fort Smith (15-4) has won only two of its past four games with both losses coming on the road at Murray State College on Jan. 10 and at Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa on Jan. 15. Three of the Lions’ four losses have been on the road.

However, UA Fort Smith is coming off a convincing 113-61 win against Murray State College on Saturday at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith tied a season-high mark of 12 made 3-pointers in the lopsided win – its sixth 100-plus point outing of the season – and shot a season-best 63.2 percent (12 of 19) from deep.

The Lions shot 58.5 percent from the field (38 of 65) – their third-best shooting effort of the season – and shot 73.5 percent from the free-throw line (25 of 34) – their second-best effort at the line this season.

Five Lions scored in double-figures against the Aggies, who beat the Lions 87-86 in overtime in the first meeting at Tishomingo, Okla. Freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., and sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., each had 19 points to lead the way.

It will be the second encounter between the Lions and the Jets.

UA Fort Smith, which is 6-4 against the West Division in crossover play, beat Northern - Enid 82-77 to finish the first semester of play on Dec. 6 at Mabee Gymnasium at Enid, Okla.

Four Lions scored in double-figures in the win against the Jets with Cline and sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., leading the way with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Bush leads the Lions in scoring with 13.8 points per game and is one of four Lions averaging double-figures in scoring.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, is averaging 6.1 rebounds per game off the bench. Northern - Enid (13-5) is 6-2 against the East Division in crossover play with wins against Eastern Oklahoma State (twice), Connors State (twice), Carl Albert State, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and losses to UA Fort Smith and Carl Albert State.

Four Jets are averaging double-figures in scoring led by sophomore Wayne Runnels with 21.6 points per game. Freshman Ben Smith leads the Jets with 12.2 rebounds per game.

TUESDAY’S TICKET

NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE-ENID VS. NO. 11 UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Northern-Enid, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 11

RECORDS: Northern-Enid (13-5), UA Fort Smith (15-4)

COACHES: Northern-Enid, Greg Shamburg; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KOOL-FM 104.7, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: KHBS 40/29 Night, Arkansas Cheer Unlimited, Taco Bell 3-point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Shootout

Five Lions scored in double-figures as UA Fort Smith routed Murray State 113-61 in Bi-State Conference crossover play on Saturday afternoon at the Stubblefield Center.

The No. 11 Lions (15-4), who are among the favorites to win the Bi-State East Division, improved to 6-4 against the West Division in crossover play. Murray State, which beat UA Fort Smith 87-86 in overtime on Jan. 10 at Tishomingo, Okla., slipped to 4-12 overall.

UA Fort Smith built a convincing 45-21 advantage at halftime and was never threatened in the second half en route to its sixth 100-plus point game of the season.

The Lions shot a sizzling 59 percent from the field (38 of 55) and shot a season-best 63 percent from 3-point range (12 of 19).

Sophomores Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., and D’Angalo Jackson of Milwaukee, Wis., each hit four 3-pointers apiece, and sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., hit three treys.

Freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., and Hanson each hit for 19 points each to lead the Lions, while Bush had 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Only two Aggies scored in double-figures – Ryan Florie and LaRon Buggs had 13 and 10 points, respectively.

No. 4 UA Fort Smith 111, Murray State 52

WOMEN – The Lady Lions’ defense continues to be their biggest offense.

UA Fort Smith forced a season-high 44 turnovers and turned them into easy transition buckets on their way to the 59-point Bi-State crossover win. The Lady Lions swept the home-and-home crossover series with the Lady Aggies, who lost 80-61 to UA Fort Smith on Jan. 10 at Tishomingo, Okla.

The No. 4 Lady Lions, who are the favorite to win the Bi-State East Division, improved to 8-0 against the West Division in crossover play.

Sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., led the Lady Lions with 18 points, while freshman Tracey Parsons of Trenton, N.J., had a career-high 16 points. Freshman Jawanda Duffey of Jonesboro, Ga., collected a team-high 10 rebounds.

UA Fort Smith’s 44 turnovers included 25 steals. Eight Lady Lions had two steals or more, and sophomore Vasha Sanders of Little Rock, Ark., led the team with five steals.

The Lady Lions held the Lady Aggies to just 31 percent shooting (18 of 59), and the Lady Aggies did not make a 3-pointer (0 of 11). Victoria Felix led Murray State with 16 points and topped off her double-double with 15 rebounds.

UA Fort Smith led 49-28 at halftime and dominated the second half scoring more points (62) in the 20-minute span than Murray State scored the entire game. UA Fort Smith shot 47 percent from the field (39 of 83) and hit 30 percent from 3-point range (6 of 20).

Murray State’s 52 points were the fewest points allowed by UA Fort Smith this season.

MEN

NO. 11 UA FORT SMITH 113, MURRAY STATE 61

Murray State 21 40 — 61

UA Fort Smith 45 68 — 113

Murray State (4-12): Florie 13, Buggs 10, Butts 9, Jackson 7, Carter 7, Thompson 5, Bailey 5, Wysznski 3, Daniels 2.

UA Fort Smith (15-4): Cline 19, Hanson 19, Bush 18, Jackson 15, Cunningham 10, Kohlheim 8, Sanford 8, Williams 7, Keese 3, Rutledge 2, Johnson 2, Cox 2.

WOMEN

NO. 4 UA FORT SMITH 111, MURRAY STATE 52

Murray State 28 24 — 52

UA Fort Smith 49 62 — 62

Murray State (6-12): Felix 16, Baca 8, Harper 6, Burgett 6, Booth 4, Lankston 4, Scott 3, Madkins 3, Madden 2.

UA Fort Smith (19-0): Brown 18, Parsons 16, Sanders 15, Boyd 11, Kemp 11, Cosby 11, Johnson 10, Key 8, Williams 8, Duffey 3.

Well, it wasn’t exactly yesterday but more like a week.

The Lady Lions beat the Lady Aggies 80-61 at Beames Fieldhouse in Tishomingo, Okla., on Jan. 10, while the Lions lost to the Aggies 87-86 in overtime.

On Saturday, UA Fort Smith will host Murray State College in the second encounter of its home-and-home Bi-State Conference crossover series at the Stubblefield Center. Tip-off will be 2 p.m. for the women’s game and 4 p.m. for the men’s game. The games will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com (second stream).

It will be UA Fort Smith’s third game this week. The Lady Lions beat Arkansas Baptist on Monday and Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa on Thursday, while the Lions beat Redlands Community College on Monday and lost to Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa on Thursday.

The Lady Lions, who moved up to No. 4 in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 25, improved to 18-0 overall and 7-0 against the West Division in crossover play after beating Northern - Tonkawa 82-53.

UA Fort Smith is the only remaining undefeated team – overall and in crossover play – in the entire Bi-State Conference after Connors State lost to Northern Oklahoma College - Enid this week.

The Lady Aggies slipped to 6-11 overall on Monday night after losing to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla.

The Lions will no doubt be happy to return to the friendly confines of the Stubblefield Center after suffering a 63-60 road loss to Northern - Tonkawa. It was the second consecutive road loss for the Lions, who slipped to 14-4 overall and 5-4 against the West Division in crossover play.

UA Fort Smith has won 11 of 12 home games but has won only three of six road games.

Murray State couldn’t capitalize on its upset win against UA Fort Smith, losing to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on Monday night to fall to 6-11 overall.

SATURDAY’S TICKET

WOMEN

MURRAY STATE COLLEGE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 2 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Murray State, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 4

RECORDS: Murray State (6-11), UA Fort Smith (18-0)

COACHES: Murray State, Rennie Nickell; UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton

BROADCAST: KFPW-AM 1230, www.sportshog1031.com (second stream)

PROMOTIONS: Army Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout, Arkoma Players In Progress

MEN

SATURDAY’S TICKET

MURRAY STATE COLLEGE VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 4 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Murray State, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 11

RECORDS: Murray State (4-11), UA Fort Smith (14-4)

COACHES: Murray State, Mike Kelley; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KFPW-AM 1230, www.sportshog1031.com (second stream)

PROMOTIONS: Army Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout, Arkoma Players In Progress

All you had to do was look in the turnovers column.

UA Fort Smith forced Northern -Tonkawa into committing 38 turnovers and turned them into easy transition baskets on their way to the lopsided win. It was the Lady Lions’ second win against the Lady Mavericks this season.

The Lady Lions (18-0), who are the favorite to win the Bi-State East Division, improved to 7-0 against the West Division in crossover play.

UA Fort Smith dominated the first half behind its stifling defense, forcing 21 turnovers. That led to easy transition baskets and a 26-point lead at halftime.

All but one of the Lady Lions who suited up scored in the opening 20 minutes with sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., and freshman Tracey Parsons of Trenton, N.J., each scoring eight points apiece.

After the initial shock of the Lady Lions’ defense wore off, the Lady Mavericks finally got their offense going behind the play of freshman Victoria Russell. Russell hit for seven points off the bench.

Russell finished with a team-high 14 points and had seven rebounds. Korie Hargus had a team-high eight rebounds for the Lady Mavericks, who trailed by 30 points in the second half.

Four Lady Lions scored in double-figures led by Brown, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Vasha Sanders of Little Rock, Ark., hit for 16 points – 14 in the second half – and sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Parsons added 10 points.

Northern Oklahoma –Tonkawa 63, No. 11 UA Fort Smith 60

MEN – UA Fort Smith’s road woes continue.

The Lions watched a late lead disappear as the Mavericks rallied down the stretch to post the win. It was the second-consecutive Bi-State Conference crossover road loss for the season.

Northern – Tonkawa swept the regular-season series with UA Fort Smith after winning the first encounter at the Stubblefield in November.

In typical fashion, the Mavericks slowed the pace of the game early, methodically working their halfcourt offense to take a 29-23 halftime lead. Northern-Tonkawa was able to establish its inside game, but the Mavericks were able to knock down the perimeter shot, too.

The Mavericks hit four treys in the first 20 minutes with Demetrece Young sinking three shots from deep on his way to 10 first-half points.

UA Fort Smith tried to force a faster pace but committed seven turnovers in the process. Northern-Tonkawa held UA Fort Smith to just one 3-pointer – a bucket by freshman Mark Rutledge of Tulsa, Okla. It was three of Rutledge’s seven first-half points.

The Lions led by six points late in the second half but could not hold off the Mavericks down the stretch as sophomore Jared Cunningham’s 3-point try was no good with one second to play.

Cunningham led the Lions with 17 points off the bench and was the only Lion to score in double-figures.

Demetrece Young led the Mavericks with 18 points, while Sam Bartlett added 14 points.

WOMEN NO. 4 UA FORT SMITH 82, NORTHERN OKLAHOMA- TONKAWA 53

UA Fort Smith 43 39 — 82

Northern-Tonkawa 17 36 — 53

UA Fort Smith (18-0): Brown 19, Sanders 16, Boyd 11, Parsons 10, Johnson 9, Arnold 6, Key 6, Duffey 4, Kemp 3

Northern-Tonkawa (4-15): Russell 14, McBride 10, Hargus 9, Sheik 7, Rogers 6, Payne 4, Roush 3

MEN

NORTHERN OKLAHOMA-TONKAWA 63, NO. 11 UA FORT SMITH 60

UA Fort Smith 23 37 — 60

Northern-Tonkawa 29 34 — 63

UA Fort Smith (14-4): Cunningham 17, Williams 6, Bush 5, Hanson 6, Jackson 7, Keese 2, Cline 4, Rutledge 4, Sanford 2, Cox 7.

Northern-Tonkawa (12-5): Young 18, Jackson 8, Curry 2, Nasarre 8, Razor 6, Morrisett 7, Bartlett 14.

UA Fort Smith Chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran received the official notification of the decision made by the President’s Council of the Gulf South Conference during Wednesday’s session of the NCAA National Convention, which is being held this week in Washington, D.C.

In making its decision, the President’s Council cited the current balance within the conference’s two divisions – eight teams in the West Division and eight teams in the East Division – as being the desired management structure that they want to maintain for the conference.

“UA Fort Smith has a strong athletic program, excellent facilities, and most importantly, dedicated and energized athletic personnel,” Beran said. “The athletic department administration and I will immediately begin to pursue other conference opportunities.”

This past July, the athletic department received approval from the NCAA Division II membership committee to proceed to the second year of the two-year exploratory phase of the three-year membership process.

UA Fort Smith is currently competing in its final season as a member of the NJCAA.

“UA Fort Smith has demonstrated full ability to be a strong member of any NCAA Division II conference,” Beran said. “We will move forward to not only join another conference of equal or greater quality and stature, but also we will move forward to show our huge capacity for being the university of choice for student athletes.”

Sophomore Jenirro Bush hit for 24 points to lead three Lions in double-figures as No. 9 UA Fort Smith edged Redlands 93-81 in Bi-State Conference crossover play at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (14-3), which lost to Murray State 87-86 in overtime on Saturday, improved to 5-3 in crossover play.

It was the second high-scoring output for Bush, who’s from Starkville, Miss. Bush, who hit for 25 points against Murray State, scored his points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the line.

He also had a team-high nine rebounds.

Sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., chipped in 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Cunningham was 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range and accounted almost half of the Lions’ 3-point buckets.

UA Fort Smith shot 59 percent (37 of 63) from the field, including 56 percent (10 of 18) from 3-point range. Sophomore D’Angelo Jackson of Milwaukee, Wis., and Bush each hit two 3-pointers apiece.

Jackson led the Lions with six assists.

The Lions led 43-39 at halftime but pushed their lead to as many as 16 points late in the second half to secure the win – their second against the Cougars this season.

UA Fort Smith, which is the favorite to win the East Division, beat the Cougars, who compete in the West Division, 92-78 in the first encounter on Nov. 20 at The Pit in El Reno, Okla.

Sophomore Marvin Roberts led the Cougars (9-8) with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field – he was 1-of-7 from deep – and a 6-of-13 shooting performance at the free-throw line.

Sophomore Antoine Watson chipped in 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field – he was 5 of 10 from deep – and a 4-of-4 shooting performance at the free-throw line.

JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN

NO. 9 UA FORT SMITH 93, REDLANDS CC 81

Redlands 39 42 — 81

UA Fort Smith 43 50 — 93

Redlands (9-8): Roberts 31, Watson 25, Talbot 8, Washington 8, Nash 5, Cunningham 4.

UA Fort Smith (14-3): Bush 24, Cunningham 16, Williams 14, Sanford 8, Hanson 7, Kohlheim 6, Jackson 6, Rutledge 5, Cline 4, Cox 3.

Only two days suffering the unexpected setback to the Aggies, the No. 9 Lions will host Redlands Community College on Monday in Bi-State Conference crossover play at the Stubblefield Center.

Tip-off will be 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on KHGG-FM and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

UA Fort Smith (13-3), which is the favorite to win the Bi-State East Division, slipped to 4-3 in crossover play against the West Division with its 87-86 overtime loss to the Aggies, who had won only three games going into Saturday’s encounter.

The good news for the Lions is that they will be playing on their home court, where they are 10-1 this season. UA Fort Smith’s only home loss is to Northern Oklahoma College – Tonkawa in crossover play.

UA Fort Smith shot just 41 percent (30 of 74) from the field and sank only 61 percent (20 of 33) of its free-throw attempts against Murray State, which shot only 39 percent (26 of 67) from the field and 77 percent (27 of 35) at the free-throw line.

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., hit for 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field – he was 3 of 8 from deep – and 2-of-4 shooting from the line against the Aggies. His last 3-pointer tied the game at 77 points apiece and sent the game into overtime.

Bush leads the Lions in scoring with 13.5 points per game. He is one of four Lions averaging double-figures in scoring. Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, leads the Lions with 6.3 rebounds per game.

UA Fort Smith is averaging 91.3 points per game, while holding opponents to 75.3 points per contest. The 87 points the Lions allowed against the Aggies is the fourth-most points they have allowed this season.

It will be the second encounter between UA Fort Smith and Redlands. The Lions beat the Cougars 92-78 at The Pit in El Reno, Okla., on Nov. 20. Redlands (9-7) is 3-3 against the East Division in crossover play with wins against Connors State, Eastern Oklahoma State and Carl Albert State and losses to UA Fort Smith, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Carl Albert.

Sophomores Marvin Roberts and Antoine Watson lead the Cougars in scoring with 28.1 and 22.5 points per game, respectively. Sophomore Hamilton Nash is the Cougars’ top rebounder with a gaudy 14.5 rebounds per game.

MEN

MONDAY’S TICKET

REDLANDS CC VS. UA FORT SMITH

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Redlands, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 9

RECORDS: Redlands (9-7), UA Fort Smith (13-3)

COACHES: Redlands, Yaphett King; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: KISR Night, Northside High School and Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout

UA Fort Smith (16-0) remained undefeated overall and has now beaten each of the Bi-State West Division teams at least once in building a 6-0 record – the Lady Lions have beaten Seminole State twice.

Boyd, who is from Olathe, Kan., was one of three Lady Lions to score in double-figures. Sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., chipped in 14 points and topped off her double-double with 11 rebounds, and sophomore Dannah Kemp of Alma, Ark., added 11 points, sinking three 3-pointers.

UA Fort Smith only led 33-31 after a sluggish first half, but the Lady Lions quickly turned the game into a runaway in the second half in building a double-digit advantage. UA Fort Smith outscored Murray State (6-10) by 17 points in the second half to secure the win.

Three Lady Aggies scored in double-figures, and sophomore Tristin Scott scorched the Lady Lions for 29 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Jessica Lankston chipped in 11 points, and freshman Maria Baca chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Murray State 87, No. 9 UA Fort Smith 86 (OT)

MEN – The Lions got late-game heroics from sophomore Jenirro Bush to force overtime, but they couldn’t make the magic happen again in the extra frame, falling to the Aggies for the first time in recent history.

Bush, a sophomore from Starkville, Miss., hit for 27 points and sank three 3-pointers. Bush’s final trey with 11.4 seconds left tied the game at 77 points apiece. Lions freshman A.J. Sanford of Memphis, Tenn., blocked a last-second shot attempt by Murray State’s LaRon Buggs to send the game into overtime.

The Lions led by just one in overtime but trailed by two points with 1.7 seconds left with sophomore Tehran Cox at the free-throw line attempting two free throws. Cox, who is from Nassau, Bahamas, sank the first one but missed the second.

Murray State secured the rebound on the miss as time expired.

Bush was one of five Lions to score in double-figures. Freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., hit for 16 points and finished his double-double with 12 rebounds.

Sahlih Butts led the Aggies with 25 points, while Wayne Jackson chipped in 21 points and 12 rebounds. Butts sank five of Murray State’s eight 3-pointers.

WOMEN

NO. 5 UA FORT SMITH 80, MURRAY STATE 61

UA Fort Smith 33 47 — 80

Murray State 31 30 — 61

UA Fort Smith (16-0): Boyd 20, Brown 14, Kemp 11, Sanders 8, Parsons 6, Johnson 6, Cosby 6, Williams 5, Duffey 4.

Murray State (6-10): Scott 29, Lankston 11, Starnes 5, Burgett 2, Madkins 4, Boca 10,

MEN

MURRAY STATE 87, NO. 9 UA FORT SMITH 86 (OT)

UA Fort Smith 44 33 9 — 86

Murray State 43 34 10 — 87

UA Fort Smith (13-3): Bush 27, Cline 16, Rutledge 13, Williams 12, Cox 12, Sanford 2, Kohlheim 2.

Murray State (4-11): Butts 25, Jackson 21, Buggs 14, Carter 10, Florie 9, Daniels 4, Bailey 2, Wzynski 2.

Tip-off will be 5 p.m. at Beames Fieldhouse in Tishomingo, Okla. The game will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

Murray State is the only remaining West Division opponent UA Fort Smith hasn’t played in crossover action this season.

UA Fort Smith (13-2), which has won five games in a row, improved to 4-2 against the West Division in crossover play with its 90-79 win against Seminole State College on Wednesday night.

The Lions, who are among the favorites to win the East Division, have crossover wins against Seminole State (twice), Redlands Community College and Northern Oklahoma College - Enid and losses to Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa and Western Oklahoma State.

It will be just the fifth road game for the Lions, who are 3-1 away from the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith, which is ranked No. 9 in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 25, is averaging 91.7 points per game and is ranked No. 19 in the nation in scoring. Nine of the 12 Lions are averaging five points or more per game.

Sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., leads the Lions in scoring with 13.3 points per game, sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., is averaging 12.7 points per game, sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., is averaging 12.5 points per game and sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., is averaging 10.8 points per game.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, is averaging a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game off the bench.

The Lions are allowing 74.5 points per game and forcing 21 turnovers per contest, including seven steals per game. Williams leads the Lions with 35 steals – 2.3 per game.

Murray State (3-10) is just 1-3 against the East Division with losses to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Carl Albert State and Connors State and a win against Eastern Oklahoma State.

SATURDAY’S TICKET

UA FORT SMITH VS. MURRAY STATE COLLEGE

TIME: 5 p.m.

SITE: Beames Fieldhouse, Tishomingo, Okla.

RANKINGS: UA Fort Smith, No. 9; Murray State, Not Ranked

RECORDS: UA Fort Smith (13-2), Murray State (3-10)

COACHES: UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; Murray State, Mike Kelley

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith sophomore sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game and force overtime during the Lions’ 109-100 win against the Trojans in their first Bi-State Conference crossover encounter at Raymond Harber Fieldhouse in Seminole, Okla.

He didn’t produce the same late-game heroics Wednesday night like he did the first time against Seminole State, but then again, he didn’t have to.

Cunningham hit for a team-high 20 points and topped off his double-double with 10 rebounds to lead the No. 9 Lions to a 90-79 win at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (13-2) won its fifth game in a row and improved to 4-2 against the West Division in crossover play. Seminole State (9-7) lost its second in a row and slipped to 2-4 against the East Division in crossover play.

Cunningham, who is from Oregon City, Ore., and is a preseason first-team NJCAA All-American, was 6-of-8 shooting from the field – he was 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range – and as 5-of-6 shooting at the line.

He was one of five Lions to score in double-figures and helped UA Fort Smith shoot a sizzling 60 percent (30 of 50) from the field.

UA Fort Smith’s depth once again proved to be a difference against the Trojans – 10 Lions scored in all and all 10 had at least two points. The Lions’ depth was big down the stretch – three players fouled out – and helped them fend off a late rally Trojans’ rally.

Seminole State trailed by eight points at halftime and fell behind by as many 19 points midway through the second half. The Trojans got back within six points (74-68) late on a jumper by sophomore Lindsey Hughey, but they got no closer as UA Fort Smith pushed its lead back to double-digits.

Hughey led the Trojans with 25 points and was one of four Trojans to score in double-figures. The sophomore was 9-of-16 shooting from the field – he was 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range – and only 3-of-8 shooting from the line. He also had a team-high eight rebounds.

Seminole State connected on just 18 of 35 free throws, while UA Fort Smith, which missed 27 free throws in its win over Temple College on Sunday, connected on 24 of 34 free throws.

UA Fort Smith held Seminole State to just 45 percent (27 of 60) shooting from the field.

UA Fort Smith will return to crossover play at 5 p.m. on Saturday when it travels to Tishomingo, Okla., to play the Murray State College Aggies. It will be the first encounter between the two teams this season.

JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN

NO. 9 UA FORT SMITH 90, SEMINOLE STATE 79

Seminole State 35 44 — 79

UA Fort Smith 43 47 — 90

Seminole State (9-7): Hughey 25, Jackman 18, Ikhinmwin 17, New 11, Ivy 5, Burge 2, McCleary 1.

UA Fort Smith (13-2): Cunningham 20, Johnson 14, Bush 14, Jackson 11, Sanford 11, Cox 9, Cline 4, Williams 3, Rutledge 2, Kohlheim 2.

UA Fort Smith opened the new year this past weekend with three wins in their own Doe’s of Fort Smith New Year’s Classic and will jump back into Bi-State Conference crossover play on Wednesday against Seminole State College.

Tip-off will be 8 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center. The game also will be broadcast live on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

The Lions (12-2), who slipped to No. 9 in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 25 that was released on Tuesday, beat Hill College (89-71), Northwest Mississippi Community College (88-66) and Temple College (98-93) in their classic.

UA Fort Smith has won four in a row since losing to Western Oklahoma State College (69-52) on Dec. 5 in Altus, Okla.

The Lions are 3-2 against the Bi-State West Division in crossover play with wins against Seminole State (109-100 OT), Redlands Community College (92-78) and Northern Oklahoma College - Enid (82-77) and losses to Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa (57-54) and Western Oklahoma State.

UA Fort Smith, which is among the favorites to win the East Division, opened crossover play on Nov. 13 with an overtime win against Seminole State at Raymond Harber Fieldhouse in Seminole, Okla.

Five Lions scored in double-figures in the overtime thriller with sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., leading the way with 23 points.

UA Fort Smith is averaging 91.8 points per game, and the Lions are No. 18 in the nation in scoring. Four Lions are averaging in double-figures – sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., with 13.3 points per game; sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., with 13.1 points per game; Bush with 12.6 points per game and sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., with 10.1 points per game.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, leads the Lions with 6.5 rebounds per game.

The Lions are holding opponents to 74.2 points per game and forcing 21.5 turnovers per game. Williams leads the Lions with 2.4 steals per game.

Seminole State (9-6) opened the new year with a split during the Three Rivers Community College Classic. The Trojans beat Mineral Area Community College (70-68) but lost to Three Rivers (73-63).

The Trojans are 2-3 against the East Division in Bi-State crossover play with wins against Carl Albert State (79-70) and Eastern Oklahoma State (86-68) and losses to UA Fort Smith, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (77-72) and Connors State (79-49).

Sophomore Lindsey Hughey leads the Trojans in scoring with 15.9 points per game, while sophomore Dauntae Williams is averaging 15.8 points per game.

Williams is averaging a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per game, while freshman Orlan Jackman, a 6-5 forward from London, England, is averaging 7.6 rebounds per game.

WEDNESDAY’S TICKET

SEMINOLE STATE COLLEGE TROJANS VS. UA FORT SMITH LIONS

TIME: 8 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Seminole State, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 9

RECORDS: Seminole State (9-6), UA Fort Smith (12-2)

COACHES: Seminole State, Dr. Tom Mills; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

PROMOTIONS: KTCS Night, Taco Bell 3-Point Shootout, The Great Randall Ford Car Shootout

Sophomore Tyrone Hanson scored a career-high 29 points to lead a trio of Lions in double-figures as UA Fort Smith edged Temple College 98-93 at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith went undefeated in the three-day, eight-team classic, extending its winning streak to four games in a row. After winning its opener against Arkansas Baptist (106-60) on Friday, Temple lost its final two games to Carl Albert (86-78) and UA Fort Smith.

Hanson was 12-of-20 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range, but was only 1-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line. The New York, N.Y., product’s woes at the free-throw line were indicative of the entire Lions team, which won despite netting only 20 of 47 free-throw attempts.

Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., added 21 points and sophomore Paul Kohlheim of Tupelo, Miss., chipped in 12 points to round out the double-figure scoring for the Lions, who shot 44.4 percent (36 of 81) from the field.

Hanson topped off his double-double with 12 rebounds and was the second Lion to reach double-figures in rebounding. Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, just missed his second double-double in a row, finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Six Lions had five or more rebounds as the Lions out-rebounded the Leopards 58-43.

UA Fort Smith trailed 50-48 at halftime and fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half. The Lions took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Hanson that broke an 84-all tie and pushed their lead to as many as seven points late on a layup by Johnson.

Temple was playing without starting forward Russ Permenter, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who was ejected after receiving consecutive technical fouls in the first half of the loss to Carl Albert on Saturday.

Still, the Leopards had four players score in double-figures. Freshman guard Allyn Cooks hit for 24 points, sophomore guard Jordan Brown had 16 points, sophomore forward Sean Jones added 13 points and sophomore Chris Ellis chipped in 11 points.

The Leopards shot 46 percent (30 of 65) from the field and connected on 68 percent (28 of 41) of their free-throw attempts. Temple and UA Fort Smith combined to commit 62 total fouls in the sloppy contest.

JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN

NO. 8 UA FORT SMITH 98, TEMPLE COLLEGE 93

Temple 50 43 — 93

UA Fort Smith 48 50 — 98

Temple (10-6): Cooks 24, Brown 16, Jones 13, Ellis 11, Morrison 9, Robinson 8, Beasley 5, Guerrero 5, Miller 2.

UA Fort Smith (12-2): Hanson 29, Williams 21, Kohlheim 12, Bush 9, Johnson 8, Cox 4, Cunningham 4, Rutledge 4, Jackson 3, Sanford 2, Cline 2.

DOE’S OF FORT SMITH NEW YEAR’S CLASSIC

UA FORT SMITH STUBBLEFIELD CENTER

FRIDAY

Howard College 66, Carl Albert 60

Temple College 106, Arkansas Baptist 60

Jacksonville College 108, NW Mississippi CC 75

UA Fort Smith 89, Hill College 71

SATURDAY

Carl Albert State 86, Temple College 78

Hill College 83, Arkansas Baptist 80

Howard College 73, Jacksonville College 63

UA Fort Smith 88, NW Mississippi CC 66

SUNDAY

Howard College 65, Arkansas Baptist 44

NW Mississippi CC 76, Hill College 69

Jacksonville College 79, Carl Albert State 62

UA Fort Smith 98, Temple College 93

The No. 8 Lions (11-2) will play Temple College (10-5) in the classic finale at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the Stubblefield Center.

In other final-day action, Arkansas Baptist College will play Howard College at noon, Hill College will play Northwest Mississippi Community College at 2 p.m. and Jacksonville College will play Carl Albert State College at 4 p.m.

Johnson, who’s from San Antonio, Texas, hit for 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 shooting from the line and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. He was one of four Lions to score in double-figures.

Sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., led the Lions with 16 points and had six rebounds, while freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., had 12 points and sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., added 10 points.

UA Fort Smith forced 23 turnovers, including 14 steals. Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., led the Lions with three steals. He also was one of three Lions with four assists.

The Lions held the Rangers to just 38 percent shooting (26 of 69) from the field, and it was defense that sparked the Lions’ onslaught, especially early.

UA Fort Smith took control of the game early by holding Northwest Mississippi to just 28-percent shooting (9 of 32) from the field while forcing 13 turnovers in the first half.

The Lions turned the 13 miscues into easy buckets, shooting 49 percent (18 of 37) from the field in building their 19-point halftime lead.

Ten of the 12 Lions scored in the first-half barrage with sophomores D’Angalo Jackson of Milwaukee, Wis., and Cunningham leading the way with eight points apiece.

UA Fort Smith pushed its lead to more than 20 points quickly in the second half and kept its double-digit cushion throughout the final 20 minutes. The Lions shot 49 percent (36 of 74) from the field for the game.

JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN

NO. 8 UA FORT SMITH 88, NW MISSISSIPPI CC 66

NW Mississippi CC 22 44 — 66

UA Fort Smith 41 47 — 88

NW Mississippi CC (7-4): Harris 18, Edwards 15, Wilks 7, Gillard 7, Davis 6, M. Jennings 5, Pegues 4, D. Jennings 2, Hilliard 2.

UA Fort Smith (11-2): Cunningham 16, Johnson 12, Cline 12, Bush 10, Williams 9, Hanson 8, Rutledge 8, Keese 5, Kohlheim 4, Sanford 2, Jackson 2.

DOE’S OF FORT SMITH NEW YEAR’S CLASSIC

UA FORT SMITH STUBBLEFIELD CENTER

FRIDAY

Howard College 66, Carl Albert 60

Temple College 106, Arkansas Baptist 60

Jacksonville College 108, NW Mississippi CC 75

UA Fort Smith 89, Hill College 71

SATURDAY

Carl Albert State 86, Temple College 78

Hill College 83, Arkansas Baptist 80

Howard College 73, Jacksonville College 63

UA Fort Smith 88, NW Mississippi CC 66

SUNDAY

Arkansas Baptist vs. Howard College, Noon

Hill College vs. NW Mississippi CC, 2 p.m.

Jacksonville College vs. Carl Albert State, 4 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Temple College, 6 p.m.

UA Fort Smith (10-2) will play Northwest Mississippi Community College (7-3) at 7 p.m. on Saturday night at the Stubblefield Center.

In other second-day action, Carl Albert State College (2-11) will play Temple College (10-4) at 1 p.m., Arkansas Baptist College (2-11) will play Hill College (8-6) at 3 p.m. and Jacksonville College (10-2) will play Howard College (10-3).

Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., scored a team-high 16 points and forced a team-high five steals for the No. 8 Lions, who have won two in row. Sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds, and freshman Mark Rutledge of Tulsa, Okla., added 14 points.

UA Fort Smith led by 11 points at halftime after shooting 44 percent (15 of 34) from the field. Hill College never got closer than six points in the second half despite shooting 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field in the final 20 minutes.

The Rebels shot 44 percent (26 of 59) from the field for the game, while the Lions shot 43 percent (31 of 72).

Hill College had plenty of chances to cut into the Lions’ lead but couldn’t connect at the free-throw line. The Rebels sank only 36 percent of their free throws (12 of 36), while the Lions hit just 58 percent (18 of 31).

Sophomore Quincy Owens led the Rebels with 16 points and had a team-high 11 rebounds. Freshman Slavko Kristo chipped in 12 points, and sophomore Henry White added 11 points and seven rebounds.

JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN

NO. 8 UA FORT SMITH 89, HILL COLLEGE 71

Hill College 35 36 — 71

UA Fort Smith 46 43 — 89

Hill College (8-6): Owens 16, Kristo 12, Clark 11, Sharp 6, Akins 6, Henderson 6, Rodriguez 5, Tisby 4, Martin 3, Ollor 2.

UA Fort Smith (10-2): Williams 16, Hanson 14, Rutledge 14, Jackson 9, Cox 8, Cline 8, Kohlheim 7, Bush 6, Keese 3, Cunningham 2, Johnson 1, Sanford 1.

DOE’S OF FORT SMITH NEW YEAR’S CLASSIC

UA FORT SMITH STUBBLEFIELD CENTER

FRIDAY

Howard College 66, Carl Albert 60

Temple College 106, Arkansas Baptist 60

Jacksonville College 108, NW Mississippi CC 75

UA Fort Smith 89, Hill College 71

SATURDAY

Carl Albert State vs. Temple College, 1 p.m.

Arkansas Baptist vs. Hill College, 3 p.m.

Jacksonville College vs. Howard College, 5 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. NW Mississippi CC, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY

Arkansas Baptist vs. Howard College, Noon

Hill College vs. NW Mississippi CC, 2 p.m.

Jacksonville College vs. Carl Albert State, 4 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Temple College, 6 p.m.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lions will host the eight-team Doe’s of Fort Smith New Year’s Classic beginning Friday afternoon.

The three-day affair will feature a competitive field of men’s teams that include No. 8-ranked UA Fort Smith, Carl Albert State College, Howard College, Temple College, Arkansas Baptist College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Jacksonville College and Hill College.

Action gets under way on Friday and Saturday at 1 p.m. each day and on Sunday at noon.

UA Fort Smith will open classic play at 7 p.m. on Friday against Hill College. The Lions will play Northwest Mississippi Community College at 7 p.m. on Saturday and will play Temple College at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Despite two losses, the Lions continue to command a lot of respect in the NJCAA Division I Top 25. The Lions (9-2) slipped to No. 8 in the latest rankings, which were released on Dec. 9. It is the last national poll until Jan. 6.

UA Fort Smith is one of only four teams with multiple losses in the Top 25 and is the highest ranked team of those four teams. The Lions’ losses have been to unranked teams — Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa and Western Oklahoma State College.

The Lions finished the fall portion of their schedule with a two-game, two-day road trip on Dec. 5-6 during which they lost to Western Oklahoma State College (69-52) and beat Northern Oklahoma College - Enid (82-77).

UA Fort Smith is averaging 91.8 points per game and has scored more than 100 points five times, including a season-high 124 points during its season-opening 124-60 win against International Sports Federation on Oct. 31.

The Lions, who are outscoring opponents by an 18.3-point margin, are holding opponents to just 73.5 points per game.

Sophomore guard Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., leads the Lions in scoring with 13.8 points per game, while sophomore guards LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., and Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., are averaging 12.5 and 12.3 points per game, respectively.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, leads the Lions with 6.4 rebounds per game.

Hill College (8-5) is coming off consecutive losses to Southwest Texas Junior College (105-95) and Cedar Valley College (87-75). The Rebels and the Lions share one common opponent in International Sports Federation, which Hill College beat 98-67.

The Rebels are averaging 80.9 points per game with a season-high of 98 points against International Sports Federation and are holding opponents to 75.5 points per game.

Freshman Demario Fountain leads a trio of Rebels in double-figure scoring with 17 points per game, while sophomores Eric Tisby and Quincy Owens are averaging 12.1 and 10.4 points per game, respectively.

Fountain and Owens are the Rebels’ top rebounders, averaging 9.2 and 6.2 boards per game.

DOE’S OF FORT SMITH NEW YEAR’S CLASSIC

STUBBLEFIELD CENTER

FRIDAY

Carl Albert State vs. Howard College, 1 p.m.

Temple College vs. Arkansas Baptist College, 3 p.m.

NW Mississippi CC vs. Jacksonville College, 5 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Hill College, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

Carl Albert State vs. Temple College, 1 p.m.

Arkansas Baptist College vs. Hill College, 3 p.m.

Jacksonville College vs. Howard College, 5 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. NW Mississippi CC, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY

Arkansas Baptist College vs. Howard College, Noon

Hill College vs. NW Mississippi CC, 2 p.m.

Jacksonville College vs. Carl Albert State, 4 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Temple College, 6 p.m.

The Lions (9-2), who lost to unranked Western Oklahoma State College on Friday, slipped to No. 8 in the latest rankings, which were released late Tuesday afternoon. It is the last national poll until Jan. 6.

UA Fort Smith, which was ranked No. 4 in last week’s poll, is one of only four teams with multiple losses in the Top 25 and is the highest ranked team of those four teams. The Lions’ losses have been to unranked teams – Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa and Western Oklahoma State College.

The Lions finished the fall portion of their schedule this past weekend with a two-game, two-day road trip during which they lost to Western Oklahoma State College (69-52) and beat Northern Oklahoma College - Enid (82-77).

UA Fort Smith will return to action on Jan. 2, when it opens play in the three-day Doe’s of Fort Smith Classic against Hill College at 7 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lions are still the only ranked Bi-State Conference team. However, Western Oklahoma State College (12-2) received five points in this week’s voting.

With previously top-ranked Cowley County Community College losing last week, Chipola College (12-1) moved up one spot to No. 1 in the poll. Chipola received nine of the 16 first-place votes.

Southeastern Illinois College (11-0) received three first-place votes and is ranked No. 2, followed in the Top 10 by Indian Hills Community College (12-1), Cowley County Community College (10-1), Northwest Florida State College (11-0), Midland College (12-1), Paris Junior College (10-1), UA Fort Smith, North Dakota State College of Science (13-0) and Southeastern Community College (13-0).

The Lady Lions kept their unbeaten streak alive this past weekend with road wins against Western Oklahoma State College (104-62) and Northern Oklahoma College - Enid (87-77).

However, the Lady Lions (14-0) remained steady at No. 5 in the latest national poll, which was released on Wednesday morning. It is the fourth consecutive week the Lady Lions have been ranked No. 5.

It is the last national poll until Jan. 6.

UA Fort Smith is one of two ranked Bi-State Conference teams. Connors State College (12-0) moved up one spot to No. 9. The two teams, who both compete in the Bi-State East Division, are among 11 undefeated teams ranked in the Top 25.

Jefferson College (13-0) received all eight first-place votes to retain the top spot in the rankings. Central Arizona College (9-0) is second, followed in the Top 10 by Gulf Coast Community College (12-0), Midland College (16-0), UA Fort Smith, Walters State Community College (14-0), Trinity Valley Community College (9-5), Chipola College (12-2), Connors State College and Northwest Florida State College (11-0).

The Lady Lions will return to action on Jan. 7, when they will host the Seminole State College Belles at 6 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center in Bi-State Conference crossover play.

The Lions trailed by nine points at halftime and fell behind by double-digits early in the second half before rallying for an 82-77 win against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid on Saturday afternoon at Mabee Gymnasium.

UA Fort Smith (9-2), which lost to Western Oklahoma College at Altus, Okla., on Friday night, settled for a split in the two-game, two-day road junket to end the first semester of play. The Lions improved to 3-2 in Bi-State Conference crossover play, while the Jets (10-4) slipped to 4-1 in crossover play.

Freshman forward David Cline of Rogers, Ark., sparked the Lions’ second half rally with clutch baskets in the paint. Cline hit for a team-high 16 points and proved to be a near-perfect complement for sophomore guards Jenirro Bush and Tehran Cox. Bush, who’s from Starkville, Miss., and Tyrone Hanson, who’s from New York, N.Y., had 15 and 12 points, respectively.

UA Fort Smith’s depth – 10 players scored for the Lions – eventually took its toll on the Jets, whose hot shooting cooled off considerably in the second half as fatigue took over.

Wayne Runnels, who was playing in only his second game since returning from injury, hit for 16 points and was the spark plug early for the Jets, who led 48-39 at halftime. Runnels was one of four Jets to score in double-figures.

MEN

NO. 4 UA FORT SMITH 82, NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE – ENID 77

UA Fort Smith 39 43 — 82

Northern-Enid 48 29 — 77

UA Fort Smith (9-2): Cline 16, Bush 15, Hanson 12, Cox 11, Sanford 7, Rutledge 6, Williams 5, Cunningham 4, Kohlheim 3, Johnson 3.

Northern-Enid (10-4): Runnels 16, Smith, 16, Lay 13, McHenry13, Beal 7, Grant 7, Piotrovicz 4, Simmons 1, Smith 1.

All but one player scored for the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith as the No. 5 Lady Lions routed the Western Oklahoma State College Lady Pioneers 104-62 on Friday night in Bi-State Conference crossover play.

UA Fort Smith (13-0), which improved to 3-0 in crossover play, eclipsed its previous scoring output of the season. The Lady Lions scored 103 points during their season-opening win against Northwest Shoals Community College.

Sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., scored 28 points to lead four Lady Lions in double-figure scoring. Sophomore Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., chipped in 13 points, sophomore Vasha Sanders of Little Rock, Ark., had 11 and sophomore Sheena Johnson of Clinton, Miss., added 10.

UA Fort Smith led 50-29 at halftime. The Lady Lions’ depth took its toll on the Lady Pioneers (6-7) in the second half as UA Fort Smith’s lead quickly reached the 30-point margin.

Jana Nickelson and Nikki Gonzalez led the Lady Pioneers, who slipped to 2-3 in crossover play, with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Western Oklahoma 69, UA Fort Smith 52

MEN – Western Oklahoma already had knocked off a highly-ranked opponent earlier this season, and the Pioneers added another to their list on Friday night.

The Pioneers held the No. 4 Lions to a season-low 52 points en route to posting the home upset. UA Fort Smith (8-2) slipped to 2-2 in crossover play with the loss and has now lost two of its last four games.

Only six players scored for the Lions, who were plagued by early foul trouble. Sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., hit for a team-high 14 points despite early foul trouble and sophomore LaDustin Williams, who also battled foul trouble, added 11 to account for the Lions’ only double-figure scorers.

UA Fort Smith trailed by double-digits early on but rallied to cut its deficit to eight points (34-26) at halftime. The Lions cut their deficit to as few as six points midway through the second half but got no closer.

The Pioneers (12-3), who slowed the tempo of the game down considerably in the second half, dominated the boards and severely limited the Lions’ second-chance opportunities. UA Fort Smith played a zone defense for the most part to try to offset the Pioneers’ size advantage, and the Pioneers took advantage by hitting seven 3-pointers.

The Pioneers also converted several traditional 3-point plays, which allowed their lead to balloon back to double-digits.

Only five Pioneers scored with Kendall Cutler leading the way with 23 points. Akeem Bennett chipped in 20 points and Tadre Shepard added 12.

WOMEN

NO. 5 UA FORT SMITH 104, WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 62

UA Fort Smith 50 54 — 104

Western Oklahoma 29 33 — 62

UA Fort Smith (13-0): Boyd 28, Brown 13, Sanders 11, Johnson 10, Duffey 9, Parsons 8, Kemp 8, Cosby 8, Arnold 5, Key 4.

Western Oklahoma (6-7): Nickelson 15, Gonzalez 13, Vanterpool 9, Harris 7, Williams 7, Davis 4, Banks 4, Roberts 3.

MEN

WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 69, NO. 4 UA FORT SMITH 52

UA Fort Smith 26 26 — 52

Western Oklahoma 34 35 — 69

UA Fort Smith (8-2): Hanson 14, Williams 11, Bush 9, Rutledge 7, Johnson 7, Cunningham 3, Sanford 1.

Western Oklahoma (12-3): Cutler 23, Bennett 20, Shepard 12, Shaw 9, Collier 5.

Both the Lady Lions and the Lions will play at Western Oklahoma State College in Altus on Friday and at Northern Oklahoma College - Enid on Saturday. It will be the last action for both teams until January.

The No. 5 Lady Lions (12-0) have played half of their games on the road and are coming off two-game stint in the Georgia Perimeter College Classic at Decatur, Ga., this past weekend. UA Fort Smith beat Shelton State Community College 80-73 and routed host Georgia Perimeter 93-56.

Sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., leads the Lady Lions in scoring with 13.5 points per game, while sophomores Marisha Brown of Kansas City, Mo., and Donica Cosby of Coldwater, Miss., are averaging 12.5 and 12.3 points per game, respectively.

The Lady Lions are averaging 88.2 points per game and beating their opponents by an average of 22 points per game.

UA Fort Smith is 2-0 in crossover play with wins against Seminole State College and Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa.

Western Oklahoma State (6-6) is coming off a crossover win against Eastern Oklahoma State College on Monday and is 2-2 in crossover play. The Lady Pioneers’ other crossover win was against Carl Albert State College.

The Lions (8-1) will make only their third road trip of the young season but are undefeated on the road with wins against Seminole State College and Redlands Community College. UA Fort Smith is 2-1 in crossover games with its only loss coming at home against Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa.

UA Fort Smith is coming off a pair of wins in this past weekend’s Lions Classic. The Lions beat Iowa Western Community College 120-116 in triple overtime and Southern University - Shreveport 85-61.

Five Lions are averaging double-figures in scoring with sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., leading the team with 14.2 points per game. Sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game to go along with 12.6 points per game.

UA Fort Smith is averaging 97.3 points per game, while holding opponents to 73.7 points per game.

Western Oklahoma State (9-2) is 2-1 in crossover play with wins against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Eastern Oklahoma State College and a loss to Connors State College. The Pioneers beat Eastern Oklahoma State 78-41 on Monday night.

Five Pioneers are averaging double-figures in scoring led by Kendall Cutler with 13.5 points per game. Tadre Sheppard is the Pioneers’ top rebounder with 8.3 rebounds per game.

FRIDAY’S TICKET

UA FORT SMITH AT WESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE

TIME: 5 p.m. (women), 7 p.m. (men)

SITE: WOSC Gymnasium, Altus, Okla.

RANKINGS: Women – UA Fort Smith, No. 5; Western Oklahoma State, Not Ranked. Men – UA Fort Smith, No. 4; Western Oklahoma State, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Women – UA Fort Smith, 12-0; Western Oklahoma State, 6-6. Men – UA Fort Smith, 8-1; Western Oklahoma State, 9-2

COACHES: Women – UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton; Western Oklahoma State, Janice Hardwick. Men – UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; Western Oklahoma State, Rolando De La Barrera.

BROADCAST: KHGG-FM 103.1, www.sportshog1031.com

SATURDAY’S TICKET

UA FORT SMITH AT NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE - ENID

TIME: 2 p.m. (women), 4 p.m. (men)

SITE: Mabee Center, Enid, Okla.

RANKINGS: Women – UA Fort Smith, No. 5; Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, Not Ranked. Men – UA Fort Smith, No. 4; Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, Not Ranked

RECORDS: Women – UA Fort Smith, 12-0; Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, 10-3. Men – UA Fort Smith, 8-1; Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, 10-3

COACHES: Women – UA Fort Smith, Louis Whorton; Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, Scott Morris. Men – UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman; Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, Greg Shamburg.

BROADCAST: KFPW-AM 1230, www.fortsmithradiogroup.com

The Lions (8-1) slipped one spot to No. 4 in the men’s Top 25, which was likely a residual effect of their home loss Nov. 24 to unranked Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa. UA Fort Smith was ranked No. 2 prior to the loss to Tonkawa on Nov. 24 and slipped one spot to No. 3 in last week’s poll, which was released on Nov. 25.

UA Fort Smith is still the only ranked Bi-State Conference men’s team and the only league team to garner votes.

Cowley County Community College (9-0) received all 12 first-place votes to remain atop the rankings. Chipola College (9-1) is No. 2, followed in the Top 10 by Southeastern Illinois College (9-0), UA Fort Smith, Indian Hills Community College (9-1), Paris Junior College (9-1), Northwest Florida State College (9-0), Midland College (10-1), South Plains College (9-0) and Arizona Western College (8-0).

The Lady Lions remained steady at No. 5 in the women’s Top 25. UA Fort Smith (12-0) is one of two ranked Bi-State Conference women’s teams. Connors State College (12-0) moved up two spots to No. 10.

They are the only two league teams to garner votes.

Jefferson College (11-0) received all eight first-place votes to remain atop the poll. Central Arizona College (7-0) is No. 2, followed in the Top 10 by Gulf Coast Community College (10-0), Midland College (14-0), UA Fort Smith, Chipola College (11-1), Pensacola Junior College (11-0), Walters State Community College (12-0), Trinity Valley Community College (6-3) and Connors State College.

Needless to say, there wasn’t near as much excitement during the Lions’ classic finale against Southern University-Shreveport on Saturday night at the Stubblefield Center.

Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., scored 25 points to lead a trio of Lions in double-figure scoring as the No. 3 Lions roared past the Jaguars 85-61 to top off a perfect two-game stint.

UA Fort Smith (8-1) beat Iowa Western Community College 120-116 in triple overtime in the opener on Friday.

The Lions shot 44 percent (16 of 36) from the field in the first half while building a comfy 43-28 lead and were never threatened down the stretch. UA Fort Smith shot 49 percent (34 of 70) from the field for the game, despite connecting on only 2 of 12 3-point shots.

Williams scored his team-high points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the line. He also had five rebounds, a team-best three steals and one assist to polish off his stellar performance.

Freshman David Cline of Rogers, Ark., had 14 points and a team-leading nine rebounds, while freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, had 13 points and six rebounds for UA Fort Smith, which out-rebounded Southern-Shreveport 53-34.

Treasure Whitworth led Southern-Shreveport with 28 points on 7-of-23 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 shooting from the line. He also had five rebounds and a team-best three steals.

Corin Jones had a team-high six rebounds for the Jaguars, who lost 93-82 to Trinity Valley Community College on Friday night.

UA Fort Smith will return to action on Friday when it travels to Altus, Okla., to play Western Oklahoma State College a 7 p.m. in Bi-State Conference crossover play.

MEN

NO. 3 UA FORT SMITH 85, SOUTHERN-SHREVEPORT 61

Southern-Shreveport 28 33 — 61

UA Fort Smith 43 42 — 85

Southern-Shreveport: Whitworth 28, Watson 8, Dantzler 6, Holley 5, Harris 4, Thurston 4, English 4, Ellis 2.

UA Fort Smith (8-1): Williams 25, Cline 14, Johnson 13, Hanson 9, Cunningham 8, Bush 5, Jackson 4, Rutledge 3, Kohlheim 2, Sanford 2.

UA Fort Smith (7-1), which narrowly avoided its second consecutive home loss, will play Southern University-Shreveport at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the classic finale at the Stubblefield Center.

Bush hit for a career-high 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the field, and Hanson netted a career-high 28 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field – he sank 4 of 8 3-pointers – and topped off his first double-double with 16 rebounds.

UA Fort Smith trailed 46-45 at halftime and fell behind by as many seven points in the second half. With the Lions trailing 86-84, Bush drained a pair of free throws with seconds to spare to tie the game and force overtime.

The Lions led by as many as five points (97-92) in the first overtime, but the Reivers ended the first extra frame on a 5-0 run, tying the game at 97 on jumper by Anthony Salter, who hit for 26 points before fouling out.

UA Fort Smith again led by five in the second overtime, but Iowa Western rallied to within 106-105 with seconds left. Salter went to the line to shoot a pair of free throws to seal the win, but he missed the first one and made the second one to force a third overtime.

The Lions – and foul trouble – eventually took their toll on the Reivers in the third overtime. Iowa Western played the waning minutes of the third OT with only four players after having six players eventually foul out.

Hanson scored eight of his points in the third OT, including 1 of 2 free throws with seconds left to give the Lions a four-point lead and secure the win.

UA Fort Smith won despite shooting a paltry 54 percent (32 of 59) from the free-throw line and committing 21 turnovers. The Lions finished the game shooting a respectable 47 percent (39 of 83) from the field.

It was the Lions’ first triple-overtime game in recent history and their second-most points scored in a game this season. UA Fort Smith scored 124 in its season-opening win against International Sports Federation. It was the fifth time the Lions have scored more than 100 points this season.

The Reivers shot 54 percent (44 of 82) from the field and had four players score in double-figures. Shay Shine led the Reivers (8-2) with 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 11-of-13 shooting from the line.

MEN

NO. 3 UA FORT SMITH 120, IOWA WESTERN CC 116 (3OT)

Iowa Western 46 40 11 9 10 — 120

UA Fort Smith 45 41 11 9 14 — 116

Iowa Western (8-2): Shine 29, Salter 26, Wooten 23, Westbrook 14, Emile 7, Hausley 6, Scott 6, Johnson 5.

UA Fort Smith (7-1): Bush 34, Hanson 28, Williams 12, Johnson 11, Rutledge 9, Cunningham 9, Keese 8, Jackson 4, Kohlheim 3, Sanford 2.

UA Fort Smith Lions Classic

At Stubblefield Center

Friday’s Results

Trinity Valley CC 93, Southern-Shreveport 82

MSU-West Plains 73, Ranger College 63

Indian Hills CC 92, Weatherford College 59

UA Fort Smith 120, Iowa Western CC 116 (3OT)

Saturday’s Games

Indian Hills CC vs. Ranger College, 11 a.m.

MSU-West Plains vs. Trinity Valley CC, 3 p.m.

Weatherford College vs. Iowa Western CC, 5 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Southern-Shreveport, 7 p.m.

The Lions will host the eight-team UA Fort Smith Lions Classic at the Stubblefield Center on Friday and Saturday, and the Lady Lions will compete in the Georgia Perimeter College Classic on Friday and Saturday in Decatur, Ga.

The Lions (6-1) will play Iowa Western Community College at 7 p.m. on Friday night in the opening round of the Lions Classic and will play Southern University-Shreveport at 7 p.m. on Saturday night in the finale.

Friday's game will be broadcast via the Internet at www.fortsmithradiogroup.com,while Saturday's game will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 103.1 and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com.

Other opening-round classic games will be Trinity Valley Community College vs. Southern-Shreveport at 1 p.m., Indian Hills Community College vs. Weatherford College at 3 p.m. and Ranger College vs. Missouri State University-West Plains at 5 p.m.

Saturday’s games will be Indian Hills vs. Ranger College at 11 a.m. (originally scheduled for 1 p.m.), MSU-West Plains vs. Trinity Valley Community College at 3 p.m. and Weatherford College vs. Iowa Western at 5 p.m.

The Lions will look to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season on Monday night against Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa at the Stubblefield Center. Tonkawa’s Sterling Jackson drained a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left, was fouled and hit the free throw to lift the Mavericks to the 57-54 win.

UA Fort Smith was held to its fewest points of the season and 48 points under its season average of 102 points per game.

The Lady Lions will look to keep their perfect start intact during their fourth road trip of the season.

UA Fort Smith (10-0) will play Shelton State Community College at 4 p.m. on Friday in the opening round of the Georgia Perimeter Classic and will play host Georgia Perimeter at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The Lady Lions are coming off an easy 97-62 win against Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa on Monday night at the Stubblefield Center. The Lady Lions are averaging 88.5 points per game and boast a gaudy 22-point average margin of victory.

UA Fort Smith Lions Classic

At Stubblefield Center

Friday’s Games

Trinity Valley CC vs. Southern-Shreveport, 1 p.m.

Indian Hills CC vs. Weatherford College, 3 p.m.

Ranger College vs. MSU-West Plains, 5 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Iowa Western CC, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Indian Hills CC vs. Ranger College, 11 a.m.

MSU-West Plains vs. Trinity Valley CC, 3 p.m.

Weatherford College vs. Iowa Western CC, 5 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Southern-Shreveport, 7 p.m.

Georgia Perimeter Classic

At Decatur, Ga.

Friday’s Games

Spartanburg Methodist College vs. South Georgia Tech, Noon

Walters State CC vs. Neosho County CC, 2 p.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Shelton State CC, 4 p.m.

Georgia Perimeter vs. Southwest Tennessee CC, 6 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Southwest Tennessee CC vs. Spartanburg Methodist College, Noon

Neosho County CC vs. South Georgia Tech, 2 p.m.

Shelton State vs. Walters State CC, 4 p.m.

Georgia Perimeter College vs. UA Fort Smith, 6 p.m.

The No. 2 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lions became the last Bi-State Conference team to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten on Monday night, falling to Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa 57-54 in an upset at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith slipped to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in Bi-State Conference crossover play, while Tonkawa improved to 5-4 overall.

The Lions only led 28-24 at halftime but extended their lead to as many as nine points in the second half. The Mavericks rallied and took a 53-52 lead with under a minute left to play on a 3-pointer by Sterling Jackson.

UA Fort Smith answered back with a stickback by sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., with eight seconds left to regain a 54-53 lead.

Eight seconds was plenty of time for the Mavericks to work the ball up the floor and get it in the hands of Jackson, who launched a 3-pointer while he was being fouled by UA Fort Smith’s Tehran Cox of Nassau, Bahamas, and made it with 1.4 seconds left.

He sank the free throw to give the Mavericks a three-point lead, and that was enough as D’Angalo Jackson’s desperation 3-point try was well short as the buzzer sounded.

Jackson led Tonkawa with 18 points – he was 2 of 4 from 3-point range – and Javier Nasarre chipped in 14 points. Chuck Sanders led the Mavericks with 11 rebounds. Tonkawa’s 57 points were the fewest points allowed by the Lions, who held the Mavericks to just 36 percent (20 of 56) from the field.

The Mavericks held the Lions’ prolific scoring machine well in check. UA Fort Smith had been averaging 103 points per game going into the game. UA Fort Smith shot only 35 percent (23 of 66) from the field.

Sophomore David Cline of Rogers, Ark., led UA Fort Smith with 14 points and was the only Lion to score in double-figures.

MEN

NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE-TONKAWA 57, NO. 2 UA FORT SMITH 54

Tonkawa 24 33 — 57

UA Fort Smith 28 26 — 54

Tonkawa (5-4): Jackson 18, Nasarre 14, Razor 6, Sanders 6, Bartlett 5, Young 4, Morissett 4.

UA Fort Smith (6-1): Cline 14, Kohlheim 8, Hanson 8, Williams 5, Bush 5, Cox 4, Cunningham 4, Keese 3, Johnson 3.

The 5-foot-11 point guard signed with the Lions on Thursday, becoming their first NCAA Division II player.

“It’s really exciting,” said third-year UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman, whose Lions are currently competing in their final season as a member of NJCAA. “We’ve talked a lot about making the transition from junior college to Division II, but the big thing is you’ve got to have players.

“He’s the first guy to ink with us (as a D-II player), and he will always be remembered.”

Mitchell also received offers from the University of Central Arkansas and McNeese State University – both NCAA Division I programs – and Harding University, which competes at the NCAA Division II level.

“I think it’s a good situation for me,” Mitchell said. “I want to go somewhere to play. I don’t want to sit on the bench until my junior year.”

Mitchell averaged 14 points, six rebounds and six assists per game as a junior and earned All-State and All-Conference honors for the Class 5A Raiders. He also was named to the Jonesboro Sun’s All Best Under The Sun Team.

Mitchell, who also plays for the Arkansas Wings Gold AAU team, was a Wendy’s High School Heisman Award state finalist.

“He’s an explosive player,” said Newman of Mitchell, who boasts a 40-inch vertical leap. “He’s a guy we would have recruited even if we weren’t going D-II. He’s a good up-tempo player and can get up and down the floor. He’s playing the two-guard right now in high school, but he will be a point guard at the college level.”

With time running out in regulation and the Lions trailing Seminole State 84-81, Cunningham drained a 3-pointer to tie the game and force overtime Thursday night. That provided the spark the Lions needed as they went on to beat the Trojans 109-100 in overtime in the Bi-State Conference crossover opener for both teams.

UA Fort Smith (5-0) outscored Seminole State (3-2) 25-16 in overtime to seal the dramatic come-from-behind win. The No. 6 Lions trailed by 18 points at halftime.

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., hit for a team-high 23 points to lead five Lions in double-figure scoring. Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., chipped in 19 points, and Cunningham, who’s from Oregon City, Ore., added 15 points.

Freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, had a team-high 11 rebounds to lead the Lions.

Dauntae Williams led the Trojans with 30 points and 12 rebounds.

MEN

NO. 6 UA FORT SMITH 109, SEMINOLE STATE 100

UA Fort Smith 39 45 25 — 109

Seminole State 57 27 16 — 100

UA Fort Smith (5-0): Williams 19, Bush 23, Cox 13, Cline 6, Cunningham 15, Hanson 10, Jackson 9, Rutledge 3, Kohlheim 4, Johnson 7.

Seminole State (3-2): Ivy 2, New 12, Williams 30, Hughey 22, Ikhinmwin 9, Jackman 16, Burge 5, McCleary 4.

Four players scored in double-figures to lead the No. 6 Lions to a 68-60 win at the Stubblefield Center on the final day of the Dr. Doug Parker, Jr., M.D. Memorial Classic.

It was the first time the Lions (4-0) were held under 100 points in scoring, and it was their closest win of the young season.

Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., hit for 15 points and had five rebounds to lead the Lions. Freshman Mark Rutledge of Tulsa, Okla., had 13 points, sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., had 12 points and freshman Chris Johnson of San Antonio, Texas, had 10 points.

UA Fort Smith led 33-24 at halftime and never surrendered the lead despite a late second-half surge by Kilgore College.

Sophomore Troy Cage sparked the Rangers with 26 points, including seven 3-pointers.

MEN

NO. 6 UA FORT SMITH 68, KILGORE COLLEGE 60

Kilgore 24 36 — 60

UA Fort Smith 33 35 — 68

Kilgore: Cage 26, Smith 8, Dorsey 6, Graham 4, DaCruz 4, Soloman 4, Ferguson 4, Malone 2, Soders 2.

UA Fort Smith (4-0): Williams 15, Rutledge 13, Cunningham 12, Johnson 10, Hanson 5, Bush 4, Cox 4, Kohlheim 4, Sanford 1.

No. 6 UA Fort Smith (3-0) will play Kilgore College at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Stubblefield Center in the classic finale.

UA Fort Smith shot a blistering 55 percent (22 of 40) from the field in the first 20 minutes to take a 25-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Arkansas Baptist cut into UA Fort Smith’s lead early in the second half, but the Buffaloes faded down the stretch.

The Lions, who shot 55 percent (18 of 33) in the second half, pushed their lead to more than 40 points down the stretch before settling on the final 36-point margin.

Every UA Fort Smith player who suited up played and scored, and five scored in double-figures. Sophomore LaDustin Williams of Jonesboro, Ark., led the Lions with 16 points, while sophomore Tyrone Hanson of New York, N.Y., added 15 points.

Lions sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., who had a double-double in each of the first two games, just missed his third double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.

David Green led the Buffaloes with 21 points – 19 points in the first half alone – and Chancellor Jones chipped in 13 points to round out Arkansas Baptist’s double-figure scoring.

In other second-day action on Saturday, Carl Albert State will play Arkansas Baptist at 2 p.m. and Coffeyville Community College will play North Arkansas College at 4 p.m.

MEN

NO. 6 UA FORT SMITH 108, ARKANSAS BAPTIST 72

Arkansas Baptist 30 42 — 72

UA Fort Smith 55 53 — 108

Arkansas Baptist: Green 21, Jones 13, Mack 8, Coleman 6, Long 6, Scott 5, Patterson 4, Millsap 4, Smith 2, Dumcombe 2, Williams 1.

UA Fort Smith (3-0): Williams 16, Hanson 15, Jackson 13, Rutledge 12, Bush 10, Cox 9, Cline 9, Cunningham 9, Sanford 6, Kohlheim 5, Johnson 4

Arkansas Baptist will be one of six teams competing in the two-day classic hosted by UA Fort Smith.

The Buffaloes will play the host Lions at 7 p.m. on Friday. In other opening-round action, North Arkansas College will play Carl Albert State College at 3 p.m. and Coffeyville Community College will play Kilgore College at 5 p.m. UA Fort Smith will play Kilgore College at 6 p.m. on Saturday, while Carl Albert will play Arkansas Baptist at 2 p.m. and North Arkansas College will play Coffeyville at 4 p.m.

It will be the second classic in as many weekends for the No. 6 Lions, who went undefeated in last weekend’s UA Fort Smith Lions Classic at the Stubblefield Center. The Lions (2-0) beat International Sports Federation 124-60 and beat Shorter College 116-59.

UA Fort Smith survived the upset bug during a weekend that saw the top three teams in the NJCAA Division I Preseason Top 30 suffer their first losses.

No. 2 Chipola Junior College lost to Three Rivers Community College 78-71, and No. 3 Midland College lost to Western Oklahoma State College 63-58 on Saturday night. Top-ranked Indian Hills Community College-Ottumwa lost to Chipola 62-61 on Monday night.

So far, the Lions have a balanced scoring attack with seven players averaging double-figures after the lopsided season-opening wins.

Sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., a NJCAA Preseason All-American, leads the Lions with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game, while sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., a Sporting News Super Sophomore selection, is averaging 18 points per game.

The Lady Lions will compete in the MCC-Penn Valley Thanksgiving Classic in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday and Sunday. UA Fort Smith will play host Penn Valley at 6 p.m. on Saturday and will play Iowa Central Community College at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

UA Fort Smith (4-0) is coming off a hard-fought 73-66 road win against Arkansas Baptist College on Tuesday night in Little Rock. The No. 8 Lady Lions trailed by as many as seven points in the second half before rallying for the win.

Sophomore Donica Cosby of Coldwater, Miss., led the Lady Lions with 24 points, while freshman Jawanda Duffey of Jonesboro, Ga., chipped in 16 points.

FRIDAY’S TICKET

DR. DOUG PARKER, JR., M.D. MEMORIAL CLASSIC

UA FORT SMITH VS. ARKANSAS BAPTIST COLLEGE

TIME: 7 p.m.

SITE: Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith

RANKINGS: Arkansas Baptist College, Not Ranked; UA Fort Smith, No. 6 NJCAA Division I

COACHES: Arkansas Baptist College, Charles Ripley; UA Fort Smith, Josh Newman

BROADCAST: KFPW-AM 1230, www.sportsinthefort.com

OTHER CLASSIC GAMES: North Arkansas College vs. Carl Albert State College, 3 p.m.; Coffeyville Community College vs. Kilgore College, 5 p.m.

The Oregon City, Ore., product had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Cunningham was one of eight Lions to score in double-figures. All but two Lions scored.

UA Fort Smith again struggled offensively early but pulled ahead 45-32 at halftime. The Lions used a 14-0 run midway through the second half to push their lead from 28 points to 42 points. UA Fort Smith’s final 57-point margin was its largest lead.

The Lions shot 54 percent from the field (44 of 82) and hit 32 percent from 3-point range (6 of 19).

Parker Smith led Shorter College with 23 points, while Nate Reese added 10 points.

MEN

NO. 6 UA FORT SMITH 116, SHORTER COLLEGE 59

Shorter 32 27 — 59

UA Fort Smith 45 71 — 116

Shorter (0-2): Smith 23, Reese 10, Dunigan 7, Burnett Jr. 6, Scott 5, Hurst 4, Hill 2, Allen 2.

UA Fort Smith (2-0): Cunningham 20, Johnson 15, Williams 14, Cline 13, Hanson 12, Bush 11, Rutledge 10, Kohlheim 10, Jackson 8, Cox 3.

Every starter scored in double-figures and eight hit the double-digit mark in all as the No. 6 Lions routed the International Sports Federation All-Stars 124-60 on Friday night during the opening round of the UA Fort Smith Classic at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lions will finish classic play on Saturday against Shorter College at 2 p.m.

Sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., led UA Fort Smith with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including a 2-of-4 effort from deep. Sophomore Jared Cunningham of Oregon City, Ore., a NJCAA Preseason All-American, had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

UA Fort Smith led 58-23 at halftime behind a sizzling 59 percent (24 of 41) shooting performance and turned the game into a runaway in the second half while shooting 65 percent from the field (26 of 40).

The Lions (1-0) forced 29 turnovers that led to 46 points.

Jeff Feenstra led ISF, an all-star team made up of former college players, with 17 points, while Chris Grant added 14 points.

UA Fort Smith 103, NW Shoals 73

WOMEN – Five Lady Lions scored in double-figures as No. 8 UA Fort Smith eased past Northwest Shoals Community College during Friday’s opening round of the Lions Classic.

The Lady Lions (1-0) will play Tyler Junior College at 8 p.m. on Saturday in second-round action.

Sophomore Morgan Boyd of Olathe, Kan., scored a career-high 25 points to lead UA Fort Smith, which only led 48-34 at halftime. Sophomore Donica Cosby of Coldwater, Miss., chipped in 16 points and had a team-high six steals. Sophomore Sheena Johnson of Clinton, Miss., had five steals to go along with 11 points.

UA Fort Smith forced 38 turnovers, scoring 36 points of the Patriots’ miscues.

Whitley Mayberry and Zenaunnie Campbell led Northwest Shoals with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

WOMEN

NO. 8 UA FORT SMITH 103, NW SHOALS CC 73

NW Shoals 34 39 — 73

UA Fort Smith 48 55 — 103

NW Shoals: Mayberry 12, Campbell 11, Bell 9, Je. Kinlaw 8, Horne 7, McDaniel 5, Stover 5, Parrish 4, Hood 4, Chavous 4, Hathcock 2, Davidson 2.

UA Fort Smith (1-0): Boyd 25, Cosby 16, Key 13, Brown 13, Johnson 11, Kemp 9, Lee 8, Duffey 5, Parsons 2, Sanders 1.

MEN

NO. 6 UA FORT SMITH 124, ISF 60

ISF 23 37 — 60

UA Fort Smith 58 66 — 124

ISF: Feenstra 17, Grant 14, Starr 10, Johnson 7, Allen 6, Masterson 5, Smith 1

UA Fort Smith (1-0): Bush 25, Cunningham 16, Jackson 15, Cline 15, Hanson 14, Williams 10, Cox 10, Rutledge 10, Sanford 4, Johnson 3, Kohlheim 2.

The Lions, who will join the NCAA Division II ranks next year, were ranked No. 4 in Sporting News Magazine’s Preseason Junior College Top 25 and were ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA Division I Preseason Top 30.

UA Fort Smith will open the season at 8 p.m. on Friday against International Sports Federation at the Stubblefield Center during the opening day of the UA Fort Smith Lions Classic.

“This will be the last (men’s basketball) team to ever play junior college athletics at UA Fort Smith, so it’s going to be a special year,” UA Fort Smith coach Josh Newman said. “It’s a very unique year, and it’s a great opportunity. This will be a team that will always be remembered as the last (junior college) team.

“Obviously, we want to go out there and represent all the players, all the coaches and everybody who has done everything to get us to this point. We want to make sure we have a tremendous amount of effort, that we play hard and that we pay tribute to those people as we finish out our transition to Division II.”

The Lions finished 28-4 last season, winning the East Division and advancing to the semifinals of the region tournament.

UA Fort Smith, which had six players sign NCAA Division I scholarships last season, returns four players from last year’s team, including starters Jared Cunningham and Jenirro Bush. Cunningham, a 6-foot-9 forward from Oregon City, Ore., averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while earning All-Conference and All-Region honors. He was named a first team NJCAA Division I Preseason All-American.

Bush, a 6-7 guard from Starkville, Miss., averaged 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He was named a second team Super Sophomore by Sporting News Magazine.

They’ll be joined be sophomore returners Tehran Cox, a 6-1 guard from Nassau, Bahamas, and LaDustin Williams, a 6-1 guard from Jonesboro, Ark. As freshmen, Cox averaged 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game and Williams averaged 8.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

“It makes a world of difference, and that’s one of the luxuries we’ll have as we transition to a four-year program,” said Newman of having a solid corps of returning players. “You have guys in the program who understand and expect not only the drills but what you want as a coach.

“We have four returners, and those four understand what I want. You can just tell. It’s a maturity process they’ve gone through, and I’m glad they’re here because they can teach the younger guys and the newer guys what I am like, what I expect and what I demand. It relieves a little bit of the burden from the coaching staff when you have returners.”

Added to the mix will be a talented group of sophomore transfers that will make an immediate impact, like Tyrone Hanson, a 6-7 guard who transferred from the University of Nevada; Paul Kohlheim, a 6-5 forward who transferred from Jacksonville University; and D’Angalo Jackson, a 6-foot guard from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Hanson, who is from New York, N.Y., played in 30 games as a freshman at Nevada, averaging 1.6 points and one rebound per game. Kohlheim, who is from Tupelo, Miss., averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game as a freshman at Jacksonville.

Jackson, who is from Milwaukee, Wis., signed with Creighton out of Pius XI High School but transferred to the UW - Green bay prior to the start of last season. He averaged three points, one rebound and one assist per game at UW - Green Bay, playing only nine games after becoming eligible after the semester break.

“Just playing the college game is an experience that you can’t put a price on,” Newman said. “We’ve got three guys who have done that and played at the Division I level. That game experience and that practice preparation will help us as the year continues.

“It’s been good early, but at the end of the season when we’re trying to make a push late, that’s when it will really come to fruition.”

The Lions also boast a strong freshmen class that will make an immediate impact, like Chris Johnson, a 6-7 forward from San Antonio, Texas; Mark Rutledge, a 6-4 guard from Tulsa, Okla.; Ryan Keese, a 6-2 guard from Muskogee, Okla.; and David Cline, a 6-7 forward from Rogers, Ark., who redshirted at Missouri State University last season.

Johnson was All-State, All-Region and All-District 28-4A last season at Brackenridge High School. Rutledge averaged 19.8 points, five rebounds and five assists per game last season at Tulsa Edison High School, and Keese averaged 25.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last year at Fort Gibson High School.

Cline, who played at Shiloh Christian High School, redshirted at Missouri State University last season.

“We have three really high-quality kids who can come in and play right away, and we have some other ones who might redshirt,” Newman said. “Chris Johnson is going to be able to play immediately. He’s physically ready. Mark Rutledge is another young man who can come in physically and play minutes right away, and Ryan Keese is going to be able to plug some holes for us.”

Freshmen Chase White, a 5-11 guard from Fort Smith; Nick Murry, a 6-foot guard from Fort Smith; Anthony Sanford of Memphis, Tenn.; and Michael Pharis of Van Buren, Ark., possibly could play some minutes for the Lions.

White averaged 10.1 points per game as a senior last season at Southside High School, Sanford averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game as a senior last season at Pullman (Wash.) High School, Murry averaged 9.5 points and 3.8 assists per game as a senior last season at Northside High School and Pharis averaged 14.7 points and five rebounds per game as senior last season at Van Buren High School.

“Right now, we are talking about possibly redshirting them, but we are going to do what’s best for them,” Newman said.

Newman likes the overall make-up of his team but is still a little concerned about the lack of size inside. Last season, the Lions enjoyed an abundance of size inside with 6-9 sophomore forward Lester Ferguson, 6-8 sophomore forward Aramie Brooks and 6-7 freshman forward Malcoln Kirkland.

Ferguson signed with University of Louisiana - Lafayette, Brooks signed with Northwestern State University and Kirkland signed with Oklahoma State.

“I like our length, and I like our ability to score,” Newman said. “We are a skilled team, but right now, I’m concerned about our lack of size in the post. We’re going to have to do some things to negate that.

“I think we’re going to have to speed the game up a little bit more than we did last year. We’re going to run offensively – that’s what we do – but maybe defensively we’re going to have to speed the tempo up with some pressure or some trapping-type defenses in the full court.”

UA Fort Smith is one of only two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the NJCAA Preseason Top 30 – Seminole State is No. 26 – but Newman said the league will likely be the toughest it has been since he became Lions coach three seasons ago.

“There’s no question it’s better than last year, and it’s looking like it’s better than when I first got in the league,” Newman said. “There are a lot of teams with a lot of experience. Seminole returns the nucleus of its team, and it finished third overall in the region last year and reached the (region tournament) semifinals.

“NEO is probably the youngest team, but (coach Dustin Grover) has done a great job of reloading with some talent. Connors has some experience, and most of its returners played significant minutes. Western Oklahoma has some returners who were the key to its success last year. They made the playoffs and gave us a run for our money in the tournament. Then, there’s (Northern Oklahoma) Enid, who made it all the way to the (region tournament) finals and returns its three best players.”

The men are ranked No. 6, and the women are ranked No. 8.

The Lions, who were also ranked No. 4 in the Sporting News Preseason Top 25, are one of two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the Top 30. The Seminole State Trojans are ranked No. 26.

Indian Hills Community College is the top-ranked team in the poll, followed in the Top 10 by Chipola College, Midland College, Walters State Community College, Cowley County Community College, UA Fort Smith, San Jacinto College, College of Southern Idaho, Georgia Perimeter College and Mineral Area College.

Lions sophomore Jared Cunningham, a 6-foot-9 forward from Oregon City, Ore., was named a NJCAA Division I Preseason First Team All-American. Cunningham averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a freshman, earning All-Conference and All-Region honors.

The Lady Lions are one of two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the Top 30. Connors State College, which lost to UA Fort Smith in last year’s NJCAA Region II tournament championship game, is No. 10.

Jefferson College is the top-ranked team in the poll, followed in the Top 10 by Trinity Valley Community College, College of Southern Idaho, Central Arizona College, Gulf Coast Community College, Midland College, Cloud County Community College, UA Fort Smith, Chipola College and Connors State.

The Lions are ranked No. 4 in Sporting News Magazine’s Preseason Junior College Top 25. UA Fort Smith is among 10 junior college men’s basketball teams profiled in the magazine’s college basketball preview, which is currently on newsstands.

It’s the highest preseason ranking the Lions have received since they were the preseason No. 1-ranked team during the 2005-06 season. UA Fort Smith went on to win the national championship that season.

Also, it’s the second time in Lions coach Josh Newman’s three seasons that the Lions have been ranked in the Top 5 of a national preseason or regular-season poll. Last season, UA Fort Smith was ranked No. 4 at one point in the NJCAA Division I Top 20.

UA Fort Smith finished 28-4 last season, having won the Bi-State Conference East Division title and advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.

“Preseason rankings are great for the fans and good for the players,” Newman said. “They (preseason rankings) don’t mean a lot, though. They don’t award a paper champion. They give out the most important award at the end of the year.”

UA Fort Smith is one of three Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the magazine’s Top 25. Connors State, which finished 22-9 last season, is ranked No. 16, and Northern Oklahoma College-Enid, which finished 19-13 last year, is ranked No. 24.

Lions sophomore Jenirro Bush of Starkville, Miss., was named a second team Super Sophomore by the magazine. Bush, a 6-foot-7 guard, played in 31 games as a freshman and averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Lowry, the former director of basketball operations at the University of Arkansas - Little Rock, replaces former Lions assistant coach Justin Stuckey, who resigned earlier this summer to pursue a high school teaching position in Texas.

The 36-year-old Lowry will join the UA Fort Smith staff on Sept. 1.

“We’re excited to be able to add him to our staff,” Newman said. “He’s a guy who has a tremendous reputation of being a workaholic, and he has a great understanding of the game.”

As UALR’s director of basketball operations, Lowry coordinated the video exchange program, team travel and meals, organized community relations events, supervised study hall and monitored academic progress.

Prior to his three seasons at UALR, Lowry was an assistant coach at San Bernardino Valley College (2003-04), where he helped guide the Wolverines to the first round of the California state playoffs.

Lowry also has a high school coaching background having been assistant varsity coach at Riverside Poly High School (2001-03), where he helped lead the Bears to their first Ivy League championship in 19 years and to two-consecutive playoff appearances.

He also had coaching stints at San Gorgonio High School (2000-01), helping the team earn its first playoff appearance in 15 years, and at Yucaipa High School (1999-2000).

A native of Moreno Valley, Calif., Lowry is a graduate of Canyon Springs High School, where he led Canyon to consecutive Mountain View League championships (1988-89, 1989-90).

He played one season at Chaffey College (1990-91) and San Bernardino Valley College (1992-93) before finishing his college career at the University of California - Riverside, where he helped lead the Highlanders to two CCAA championships, an appearance in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 (1993-94) and a national runner-up finish (1994-95).

Sophomore Malcoln Kirkland, whom the Lions were expecting to play a pivotal role this upcoming season, signed with Oklahoma State University on Monday, becoming the sixth Lion from this past year’s team to sign with a NCAA Division I team.

It was somewhat of a surprising turn of events, but it didn’t totally catch Newman off guard. Kirkland, a 6-foot-7 forward from Madison, Miss., was a NCAA qualifier when he signed with the Lions last summer and recently had received offers from St. Louis University and the University of Alabama - Birmingham.

“Malcoln had opportunities (to play Division I basketball) coming out of high school, but he chose to come here to better his opportunities,” Newman said. “Oklahoma State is a great opportunity for him. (The Cowboys) play in one of the top three leagues in the country.”

Kirkland played in all 32 games this past season and averaged 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Lions, who finished 28-4 overall, won the Bi-State Conference East Division title and reached the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.

“We’re excited for Malcoln,” Newman said. “He’s going to play in the Big 12, and that’s a great opportunity.”

Kirkland is one of the first recruits signed by new Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford. The former University of Massachusetts coach was hired in April to replace former Cowboys coach Sean Sutton, who resigned following the Cowboys’ 17-16 finish this past season.

With Kirkland’s departure, Newman suddenly has one more scholarship available with which to bolster an already solid recruiting class that includes freshmen Mark Rutledge (Tulsa, Okla.), Chris Johnson (San Antonio, Texas), Ryan Keese (Muskogee, Okla.), Nick Murry (Fort Smith), Chase White (Fort Smith) and Michael Pharis (Van Buren, Ark.), redshirt freshman David Cline (Rogers, Ark.) and sophomore transfers D’Angalo Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Paul Kohlheim (Tupelo, Miss.).

“Now, we have to get back to work,” Newman said. “Replacing a guy like Malcoln who was going to start for you is hard. It’s going to be tough to find someone to replace him, especially this late.”

The 6-foot-6 guard/forward was drafted by Chicago with the 39th overall pick in the second round of Thursday’s NBA draft, but following the draft, the rights to Weems were traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team trade.

“We had a lot of conversations. There was a lot of talk, a whole lot of talk. As the draft unfolded, we saw guys sliding, and as that happened we started to become more active,” said Nuggets vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman in a news release on the team’s Web site. “Other teams became more active, and we have been working on these types of scenarios for days.”

In the late-hour deal, the Portland Trailblazers received the Nuggets’ second-round pick in 2009, the New York Knicks’ second-round pick in 2009 (via Chicago) and Chicago’s second-round pick in 2010.

Chicago received the rights to Turkey’s Omer Asik, who was drafted by Portland in the second round with the 36th overall pick.

Denver vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said the Nuggets had their eye on Weems for quite some time.

“It’s just kind of the nature of the draft. In the NBA, now the time you can work guys out is more limited. Often guys hit a certain point in the draft, and there’s seven to eight teams that they haven’t worked out for,” said Warkentien in a release on the team’s Web site.

“A lot of teams won’t take a guy that hasn’t worked out for them. They reach those pockets and they need parachutes because they are falling . . . who is slipping, where’s the value? With Sonny slipping (Thursday), we chose to make a play. He was in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp and then there was a multi-team workout (in Oakland on June 13 and 14) and he participated in that. We saw him in junior college too.”

Weems, a West Memphis, Ark., native, was a two-year starter for UA Fort Smith, leading the Lions to the 2006 NJCAA national championship. He went on to become a two-year starter at the University of Arkansas, earning first team All-SEC honors this past season.

“Oh, he’ll get drafted,” said Cox, now assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Kentucky.

Cox recruited Weems to UA Fort Smith and for two years watched the 6-foot-6 guard/forward develop into the No. 1-ranked junior college player in the country and eventually sign with the University of Arkansas.

While Cox may have been convinced of Weems’ draft fate, Weems’ status was uncertain going into Thursday night’s draft. Most draft pundits had Weems as a late second-round pick at best, while a few didn’t even have him on their draft boards.

All the uncertainty was cleared up about 3 ½ hours into the draft when the West Memphis, Ark., native was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 39th pick in the second round. He will join former University of Memphis point guard Derek Rose, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Bulls.

The two players are the first draft picks for new Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who was hired earlier this month as the 17th coach in the franchise’s history. Del Negro was previously assistant general manager of the Phoenix Suns.

As a freshman, Weems averaged 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals per game while leading UA Fort Smith to a 29-4 win-loss record, the Bi-State Conference East Division championship and runner-up finish in the NJCAA Region II tournament.

Weems earned All-Conference and All-Region II honors and was named a NJCAA third team All-American.

As a sophomore, Weems was the preseason No. 1-ranked junior college player in the nation according to JucoJunction.com and Street & Smith Magazine.

He averaged 15.7 points per game while leading the preseason No. 1-ranked Lions to a 33-3 win-loss record, the Bi-State Conference East Division title, the Region II tournament championship and the 2006 national championship.

Weems earned All-Conference and All-Region honors and was named a NJCAA honorable mention All-American.

He went on to become a two-year starter at Arkansas, where he averaged 13.4 points, five rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during his career. He was named first team All-SEC honors and earned Associated Press All-SEC honors this past season.

“He has three things that you need to have to be a pro. He’s got athleticism with size and length, he’s got the desire and the attitude and he’s selfless and very coachable,” Cox said. “He’s used the talents that God gave him, and that’s a credit to him, his parents, his high school coaches and the others who have coached him.”

Weems is the fifth player Cox has coached – as an assistant coach or head coach – to be selected in the NBA draft, including former lottery picks Theo Ratliff (Wyoming) and A.C. Law (Texas A&M). He also is the fourth former Lion to be drafted by an NBA team, joining Maurice Jeffers, Darrell Walker and Ron Brewer.

Jeffers, who is from Morrilton, Ark., played two seasons (1997-99) at UA Fort Smith (then Westark College) and, after two seasons at St. Louis University, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 55th pick in the 2001 draft.

Walker, who is from Chicago, played one season (1979-80) for the Lions and, after playing three seasons at Arkansas, was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 12th pick in the 1983 draft.

Brewer, who is from Fort Smith, played one season (1974-75) for the Lions and, after playing three seasons at Arkansas, was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers with the seventh pick in the 1978 draft.

Cline, a 6-foot-7 forward from Rogers, Ark., was a redshirt at Missouri State University this past season, and Jackson, a 6-foot guard from Milwaukee, Wis., was a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay this past season.

Cline averaged 18 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.8 steals per game during his senior season at Shiloh Christian High School and led the Saints to a 27-5 record and the 3A-1 Conference championship. He also earned All-Conference and All-State honors, was named to the All-Region Tournament Team and the All-State Tournament Team and was selected to play in the AHSCA All-Star Game.

He was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and was a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Area Team and the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas All-Area Team. He also was the KURM Player of the Year.

“It’s not every day that you can recruit a player of David Cline’s ability. He’s 6-7, 225,” Newman said. “He redshirted at Missouri State, so he’s had some time to get stronger. I think he’ll come in here and have an immediate impact.”

Jackson averaged 18.1 points, 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior at Milwaukee’s Pius XI High School. He was a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and Associated Press second team All-State selection and was named first team All-Area by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

He was the Classic 8 Conference Player of the Year.

Jackson originally signed with Creighton University but transferred to UW-Green Bay last fall. Jackson, who only played in nine games after becoming eligible on Dec. 22, averaged three points, one rebound and one assist per game for the Phoenix.

“D.J. is going to give us quickness. There won’t be many nights where there’s anybody on the court quicker than him,” Newman said. “He’s going to allow us to continue our up-tempo style of play. He should be able to come in and play right away with all the guys we have in our program.”

Along with Cline and Jackson, UA Fort Smith has signed Ryan Keese, a 6-3 guard from Muskogee, Okla.; Chris Johnson, a 6-8 forward from San Antonio, Texas; Mark Rutledge, a 6-4 guard from Tulsa, Okla., Paul Kohlheim, a 6-5 forward from Tupelo, Miss.; and Nick Murry, a 5-11 guard from Fort Smith.

The Lions also have added Chase White, a 6-foot guard from Fort Smith who received an academic scholarship to UA Fort Smith, and Tyrone Hanson, a 6-7 sophomore guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., who transferred to UA Fort Smith at semester from the University of Nevada.

“I don’t know if we’re setting any records, but if you were to ask any junior college coach in the country if they were done (recruiting) at this point, they would all tell you no. I’m really glad (we’re done),” Newman said. “I’m very fortunate. I think (assistant coaches) Justin Stuckey and Nate Mast have done a phenomenal job recruiting and have put us in position to be done at this point.”

Echols, a 6-foot-6 forward from Blytheville, Ark., signed with Georgia State University in Atlanta. Johnson, a 5-10 point guard from Kansas City, Mo., signed with North Texas University in Denton. Hardiman, a 6-4 guard from Milwaukee, Wis., signed with Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

They are three of five Lions who have signed with Division I schools. Last fall, sophomore forward Aramie Brooks of Earle, Ark., signed with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., and sophomore center Lester Ferguson of Baton Rouge, La., signed with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

The sophomore class helped lead the Lions to a 28-4 finish this past season and a No. 12 ranking in the final NJCAA regular-season poll. The Lions won the Bi-State Conference East Division championship and advanced to the NJCAA Region II tournament semifinals.

“Between Chris Echols, Jacolby, Aramie Brooks and Lester, those were the guys who took a chance on me as I took a chance on them that first year,” said Lions coach Josh Newman, who just finished his second season at UA Fort Smith. “To see them two years removed being able to walk out this door with a degree in hand and a Division I scholarship couldn’t make me more proud.

“They’ll be sadly missed, not only from a basketball perspective but more importantly from a character and teammate perspective.”

Echols, who was a two-year starter, was second on the team in scoring with 11 points per game this past season, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field. He led the team in rebounding with 5.9 rebounds per game.

He was named first team All-Conference and All-Region this past season after being named first team All-Conference and second team All-Region as a freshman.

Along with Georgia State, Echols received interest from Kansas State, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and the University of Massachusetts. He chose Georgia State based on its academic program, especially is music department.

“They have a really good music department,” Newman said. “And, Atlanta is really connected with the music industry.”

Georgia State, which is coached by former Ole Miss coach Rod Barnes, competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Panthers finished 9-21 overall and 5-13 in conference play this past season – Barnes’ first season at the school.

Johnson, a one-year starter who transferred from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He led the team with 5.1 assists per game and was ranked No. 47 in the nation. He was named second team All-Conference.

Along with North Texas, Johnson received interest from the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Albany University, Central Arkansas University and the University of South Alabama.

“It’s similar to here with the same style of play. It will be a good fit for me,” said Johnson of North Texas. “I’ve got a lot of family from that area, and my parents like the school. It’s a good place to be.”

North Texas, which is coached by Johnny Jones, competes in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mean Green finished 20-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play this past season – Jones’ seventh season at the school.

Hardiman, a two-year starter, averaged 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this past season. He averaged 2.4 assists per game and 1.7 steals.

Along with Central Michigan, Hardiman received interest from Eastern Illinois, Texas State, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, North Texas and Loyola-Chicago.

“When I went to visit, it was a nice environment,” said Hardiman of Central Michigan. “They have a good academic program. I want to major in business entrepreneurship, and they have a good business program. That topped it off.

“The guys on the team were really cool. I fit the system really well.”

Central Michigan, which is coached by Ernie Zeigler, competes in the Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas finished 14-17 overall and 8-8 in conference play this past season – Zeigler’s second season at the school.

Murry, a 5-foot-11 guard from Northside High School, signed a NJCAA letter of intent and received an athletics scholarship, and White, a 6-foot guard from Southside High School, received an academics scholarship.

They will be a part of the Lions’ last team to compete at the junior college level. UA Fort Smith is making the transition to NCAA Division II and will be a provisional member beginning with the 2009-10 season.

“We’re really excited that we can keep two hometown guys close to home,” Newman said. “They will help us build on what we expect to be a great foundation for (NCAA) Division II.”

Murry averaged 9.5 points and 3.8 assists per game for the Grizzlies, who finished second in the 7A-West Conference and advanced to the state tournament quarterfinals. He earned All-Conference and All-State honors and was the MVP of the Coca-Cola Classic.

He also was named to the Times Record All-Area Team and the state tournament All-Tournament Team.

White averaged 10.1 points per game for the Rebels, who finished fourth in the 7A-West Conference and advanced to the state tournament.

He earned All-Conference and All-State honors and was named to the Times Record All-Area Team and the state tournament All-Tournament Team.

“We’re fortunate to be able to have two young men from our community whom we feel like can really step in and help this team,” Newman said. “We’re looking for these guys to be the bridge between that junior college and Division II gap.”

Newman, who recently finished his second season as Lions coach, signed four recruits last week – Ryan Keese, a 6-foot-3 guard from Muskogee, Okla.; Chris Johnson, a 6-8 forward from San Antonio, Texas; Mark Rutledge, a 6-4 guard from Tulsa, Okla.; and Paul Kohlheim, a 6-5 forward from Tupelo, Miss.

“We’re excited,” Newman said. “We’ve added depth to our roster. All of these kids can come in and play right away, which is great for our team because it creates competition. Last year, the strength of our team was our depth. And without a doubt, the strength of next year’s team will be our depth as well.”

Newman is well on his way to replenishing his team, which lost five sophomores from this past season’s squad that finished 28-4, won the Bi-State Conference East Division and reached the Region II tournament semifinals.

Still, Newman has a couple of spots to fill and likely will sign a point guard and a small forward in the coming weeks.

“We’ll lose five guys, and all five will have signed Division I scholarships,” Newman said. “It’s going to be hard to replace those guys, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job in doing that with the class we’ve signed so far.”

The following is a brief synopsis of the Lions’ incoming players.

Ryan Keese, Fort Gibson (Okla.) High School

Keese averaged 25.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, four steals and 4.5 assists per game this past season, while leading the Tigers to a 19-8 finish. A McDonald’s All-American nominee, Keese earned Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State honors, was named to the Daily Oklahoman All-State Team and was the Muskogee Phoenix Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Keese also earned All-District Region III honors and All-Conference honors for the second-consecutive season and was named an Eastern Oklahoma All-Star for the second-consecutive year.

Chris Johnson, Brackenridge High School (San Antonio, Texas)

Johnson helped lead the Eagles to a 31-7 record and a berth in the Class 4A Region IV championship game, where they lost to Boerne 66-48. Johnson was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A All-State Team and All-Region team and was first team All-District 28-4A. He was named to the Greater San Antonio All-City Super Team and the South San Antonio ISD All-Tournament Team and was the Northeast ISD Tournament MVP. He also received interest from Sam Houston State, Wichita State, Texas State and Long Island.

Mark Rutledge, Thomas Edison High School (Tulsa, Okla.)

Rutledge averaged a team-high 19.8 points, five assists and five rebounds per game for the Class 5A Eagles, who finished 19-8 and advanced to the state semifinals. Rutledge averaged 26 points per game during the Eagles’ two state tournament games – a 63-60 win against Harrah in the quarterfinals and 50-48 loss to Guthrie.

Rutledge was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and a three-time member of the Green Country All-Conference Team. He was named first team All-State by the Oklahoma sports writers and High School Sports The Magazine, was named first team All-Metro by the Oklahoma Coaches Association and was named to the Channel 8 Elite Eight Team of Oklahoma.

Paul Kohlheim, Jacksonville (Fla.) University

Kohlheim averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game this past season for the NCAA Division I Jacksonville (Fla.) University Dolphins. Kohlheim, a transfer who will be a sophomore at UA Fort Smith, led Tupelo High School to an 85-40 win-loss record during his four prep seasons. As a senior, he was named one of the Mississippi “Dandy Dozen” after averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds per game and was named first team All-Area and preseason All-State.