BOX SCORE
Jourdan DeMuynck hit the go-ahead free throw with 22 seconds remaining as Prairie View A&M held off Arkansas-Pine Bluff 76-75 in conference action on Monday before 4,319 fans in the William Nicks Building.
“Every time we play them (UAPB) the game comes down to one point,” said head coach Byron Rimm II. “Both teams were amped to play each other and it showed both on-and-off the court.”
Holding a one-point halftime lead, Prairie View A&M jumped out to a 45-38 lead less than two minutes in. UAPB closed to within three on two occasions but the Panthers held their ground as they claimed their largest lead (52-44) of the evening at the 15:16 mark following a jumper from DeMuynck.
UAPB refused to go away though as they continued to hang around and closed to within one point on two occasions over the next nine minutes. The Golden Lions regained the lead for the first time since the first half with 6:45 left as Savalance Townsend recorded a three-point play for a 65-64 advantage. Nearly a minute later, DeMuynck hit 1-of-2 free throws to knot the contest at 65.
From that point, the game went back-and-forth as UAPB's Clay Johnson hit a basket followed by two free throws by PV's Marcellus Jackson. Townsend moved the Golden Lions back on top 69-67 with 4:51 left following a driving layup down the lane. However, Jackson kept the Panthers in contention as he tied the contest at 69-all with a huge basket in the paint.
With 2:20 remaining on the clock, PV's Demondre Chapman broke the tie with two free throws for a 71-69 lead. Pine Bluff's Kyle Jones quickly quieted the crowd on the ensuing possession with a big trey but Chapman was fouled and nailed 1-of-2 free throws to knot the contest at 72-apiece.
UAPB's Daniel Broughton broke the tie with a three-point play as UAPB led 75-72 with 1:14 remaining. Chapman answered with a basket to cut the deficit to 75-74 which led to a quick PV timeout at the 1:01 mark.
Townsend missed a layup immediately following the timeout which led to a rebound from senior guard Tim Meadows. With 22 seconds remaining, DeMuynck drove down the lane and was fouled en route to hitting the eventual game-winning free throw.
“Free throws won the game for us tonight,” added Rimm. “We've lost several games at the free throw line but now the guys see how important free throws are in close games.”
UAPB had one final chance at the buzzer but a solid defensive effort by the Panthers led to an unsuccessful forced shot attempt from Mitchell Anderson.
The first half was a mirror image of the second as neither team led by more than five points. Prairie View A&M erased a four-point deficit with 4:16 left and turned it into a one-point halftime lead as they outscored UAPB 12-7 over the final four minutes for a 36-35 halftime margin.
DeMuynck led the Panthers with 18 points off the bench and a team-high six rebounds. Louis Munks and Ryan Gesiakowski followed with 15 points apiece while Chapman added 14 points and five boards.
“Jourdan came off the bench and did well playing the point for us,” said Rimm II. “He never plays the point for us but had to step in when Montrael (Scott) went down with an injury.”
The Panthers hit the road for a two-game swing in the state of Alabama as they'll battle Alabama State on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala. The Panthers will play Alabama A&M on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Huntsville, Ala.
