Ark.-Pine Bluff 62, Southern U. 61

Published Mar. 13, 2009 5:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Gavin Montgomery made three clutch free throws down the stretch to give Arkansas-Pine Bluff a 62-61 victory over Southern in the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament on Thursday night. Montgomery scored 14 points in 19 minutes to lead the Golden Lions (13-17). Tavaris Washington chipped in with 11, and Savalance Townsend had eight points and 11 rebounds. Chris Davis made a jumper to pull Southern (8-23) within one point, 59-58, with 5:46 remaining, but neither team scored again for the next five minutes. Montgomery made two free throws with 43 seconds left to give Arkansas-Pine Bluff a three-point lead, then made another 35 seconds later to ice the game. Douglas Scott led the Jaguars with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The fourth-seeded Golden Lions will face top-seeded Alabama State in the semifinals Friday night.