The Prairie View A&M Panthers close out their three-game homestand tonight versus Jackson State in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU at 8 p.m. and fans are encouarged to wear the gold. To accomodate ESPNU, the women's contest versus Jackson State will begin at 5 p.m. in the Baby Dome.
The Panthers picked up a much-needed SWAC win on Saturday, Jan. 12 versus Grambling State by a margin of 60-44. In the win, senior point guard
Carl Blair and junior forward
Josh Eleby led the way as Blair dominated the second half offensively while Eleby took control of the paint in the first stanza.
While the team continues to find their shooting stroke on a consistent basis, the Panthers have made up for their lack of offensive production in SWAC play with solid rebounding and defense. The Panthers are amongst the nation's best in rebounding this season as they lead the SWAC in four rebounding categories. PV ranks first in rebound offense (39.3), rebound margin (+3.6), offensive rebounds (14 .9) and offensive rebound percentage (.382). On the defensive end of the rebounding ledger, the Panthers are ranked second in rebounding defense (35.7) and defensive rebounds (24.4).
In addition to their rebounding, teams are struggling to hit shots against the Panthers as their opponents are only shooting 39.8 percent (66th NCAA) against them. PV has racked up 148 steals (8.7 per game) (53rd NCAA) and 3.5 blocks per game. The Panthers have also defended the three-point line well as teams are only shooting 29 percent against them.
Senior shooting guard
Jourdan DeMuynck leads the Panthers with 13.6 points per game and is pulling down a team-high 5.8 rebounds per outing. Blair follows with 10.9 points and a team-high 4.8 assists.
Led by veteran coach Tevester Anderson, Jackson State is coming off a loss to Texas Southern on Saturday night and is struggling with a winless mark in SWAC play (0-5). After losing their first three SWAC games by a combined 8 points, JSU has now lost its past two games by margins of 13 and 27 points to Southern and Texas Southern, respectively. Despite the record, Panther fans know they're in for an intense opponent as JSU has won nine of the past 13 contests in the Baby Dome since 2000.
JSU is led offensively by guard trio of Kelsey Howard, Dundrecous Nelson and Christian Williams. Howard averages 16.9 points while Nelson and Williams follow with 16.2 and 10.8 points, respectively.
PV's
Byron Rimm II is 4-10 lifetime versus Jackson State as both teams split last year's games as the Panthers won in Jackson, Miss. while JSU won in Prairie View. Rimm is 21-1 in the dome versus non-conference foes and 32-23 against SWAC opponents.
Prairie View A&M travels to Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 19 and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday, Jan. 21. The Panthers return home on Saturday, Jan. 26 versus Alabama State at 5:00 p.m.
