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HOUSTON - Through four years as an assistant and now two years as a head coach, Toyelle Wilson has yet to lose against Texas Southern. Wilson and the Lady Panthers continued their domination in the series between the bitter rivals as Prairie View cruised to a 64-43 win over the Lady Tigers Saturday night at the H&PE Arena to win its 14th-consecutive game against TSU.
Wilson hopes this win will be used as a spring board to more wins in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, especially because of the play of junior guard Latia Williams. She recorded her third-consecutive double-double and her fifth of the season. She scored 18 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
"Puff (Williams) has been big for us. She's been a leader. She's been patient," Wilson said. "We figured once she started hitting shots then everything would fall in place. We've just got to keep up this momentum now going into Jackson State, which is going to be a really tough game."
The Lady Panthers (4-10, 1-2 SWAC) had been averaging 18.7 turnovers per contest heading into Saturday night's game, but Prairie View saw methodical, careful play from its guards en route to its first win in SWAC play this season. The Lady Panthers only committed eight turnovers.
"We had 16 assists on 25 baskets," Wilson said. "That means we're setting each other up and we're being accountable and responsible. That's what I was looking for from the kids."
The Lady Panthers got out to an early roll against TSU. Prairie View jumped out to 7-0 lead on TSU, getting to the line and converting 5-of-6 free throws for five points in the first four minutes of the game. The Lady Panthers maintained that dominance throughout the remainder of the first half.
Williams' jumper with 4:09 left in the first half gave the Lady Panthers a 23-10 lead. The Lady Panthers continued to keep up their intensity and cruise to a 31-16 half-time lead. Williams scored 10 first-half points and grabbed six boards in an effort to record her third-consecutive double-double. Freshman point guard Jeanette Jackson added eight points, two assists and two rebounds. She finished with 10 points, three assists and four steals. Lady Panthers' junior guard Kiara Etienne contributed a team-high 19 points and two steals. Texas Southern (1-12, 0-3 SWAC) was led by center Crystan Anyiam, who had nine points and six rebounds.
Prairie View's next contest will be against Jackson State at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 in Jackson, Miss.
