BOX SCORE

GARLAND, Texas – A rough first half was too much for the Prairie View A&M men's basketball team to overcome as the Alcorn State Braves ended their season by a 103-79 margin in the first round of the 2012 SWAC Tournament at the Special Events Center in Garland, Texas.

Prairie View A&M held a brief 3-2 lead less than three minutes in the first half but ASU regained the lead on the following possession after a three-pointer from Xavian Rimmer. ASU added another basket but PV remained close as Ronald Wright and Jules Montgomery nailed a pair of shots as ASU led 11-7 at the 14:50 mark. However, that would be the last time in the half PV would remain within striking distance as the entire landscape of the game changed from that point.

Alcorn State, which shot a blistering 72 percent in the first half, could not miss as they broke the contest open after outscoring the Panthers 39-10 for a 50-17 halftime margin. During the run, nothing went right for the Panthers as they were 3-of-14 from the field during that span, outrebounded 22-9 in addition to committing 10 turnovers. On the opposite end, ASU missed only eight shots the entire half as they finished 20-for-28.

The Panthers started out slow to begin to second half as they were held scoreless for a span of 4:30 while ASU extended its lead to 44 at 61-17. With their season on the line, Prairie View A&M began to show signs of life as they began to pick up its defensive intensity as head coach Byron Rimm began to empty the bench for signs of life. The Panthers managed to chip away at their deficit as the second half came to a close but never could overcome their first half deficit as the Braves recorded their second tourney win over the Panthers since 2003.

Louis Munks led the Panthers with 13 points while Marcellus Jackson pulled down nine rebounds and scored nine points.