FORT SMITH, Ark. – The seniors stepped up on Senior Day Saturday, with Matthew Wilson and Chris Rollins combining to score 44 points in a 78-67 win over UT Permian Basin at Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center.

Wilson led UAFS with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting along with five assists, while Rollins was 9-for-11 from the floor for 21 points with seven rebounds and a pair of dunks in the first half.

The third senior, Braden Boyer, played a key role off the bench with three points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

After a back-and-forth first three minutes, UAFS took the lead for good on a three by Wilson to go up 11-8. The Lions would not relinquish that lead for the final 36:55 minutes of game time.

Leading 13-10, the Lions went on a 9- run by knocking down three triples, one from Wilson and one each from guard Drew Miller and forward Justus Cooper, who each scored 10 points after being inserted into the starting lineup.

UTPB trimmed the lead to 28-24 with back-to-back threes of their own five minutes later, but UAFS got the lead back to double digits, leading by as many as 11 before taking a 40-33 lead into halftime. Both teams shot well in the first half, with the Falcons shooting 57.1 percent and the Lions shooting 59.3 percent.

The Falcons would not go away in the second half, hanging around until a 6-0 run made it at 51-50 Lion lead. However, two possessions later, the Lions went on an 8-0 spurt to lead 65-53 at the under eight media timeout.

UTPB only got within nine the rest of the way, as UAFS closed out the game by shooting a scorching 62.5 percent in the second half and finished at 60.8 percent overall. UTPB finished at 53.3 percent.

UAFS was 8-for-17 from beyond the arc, and dominated in the paint, 36-12. UTPB was 13-for-25 from long range. The Lions held a 27-19 edge in the rebounding battle.

The Lions close out the regular season on the road at Midwestern State and Dallas Baptist as teams jostle for seedings in the upcoming Lone Star Conference tournament.