BOX SCORE
Prairie View A&M started its Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule off with a convincing 64-52 win over at Alcorn State by overpowering its opponent in the second half. The Lady Panthers outscored Alcorn State 37-21 in the second half en route to improving its win streak against conference opponents to seven games.
Facing a 31-27 halftime deficit, Prairie View struck first and struck hard in the second half with an 11-0 run out of the gates. Sophomore center Larissa Scott (8 points, 6 rebounds) spurred and finished the run with layups with assists from senior forward JaQuandria Williams (14 points, 2 steals). Scott's layup with 15:50 left in the game gave Prairie View A&M a 38-31 lead. That run, coupled with a 7-0 run by the Lady Panthers to close out the second half was dealt a serious blow to Alcorn State.
“We didn't have intensity at the beginning of the game,” Wilson said. “I told the girls we weren't playing to the level that we were capable of playing. We were making small mistakes and bad decisions in the half court. The girls gained confidence in their defense and offense with the big runs to close out the first half and start the second half.”
Alcorn State countered with its own run and pulled to within one point at 42-41 when Renelle Richmond scored on an old-fashioned three-point play with 12:03 left to cap off a 10-4 run. Prairie View A&M dug in defensively and limited the Lady Braves to just four points over the next 10 minutes with strong perimeter pressure and a game-changing performance in the post by freshman center Shamiya Brooks. The 6-4 powerhouse altered shots and came down with key defensive rebounds. She scored four points, had three rebounds and a block.
The perimeter duo of Latia Williams and Kiara Etienne showed up to play in the first SWAC game of the season, combining for 26 points. Williams, the SWAC's leading scorer, hit her season average of 14 points and pulled down seven boards. Her ability to hit her signature pull-up jumper in clutch offensive possessions was key to victory, as well as Etienne's 2-for-5 performance from downtown.
“Our staple has always been defense,” Wilson said. “If we're not scoring then we don't want our opponent to either. I think they raised their level of defensive intensity, and we were able to push the ball in the open floor and get some easy baskets.”
Prairie View A&M will finish its road trip with a game at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Southern before returning home to host Texas Southern at 5 p.m. on Jan. 6.
