GAME NOTES

PANTHERVISION

KPVU 91.3 FM

The Prairie View A&M Panthers return to the state of Texas this weekend as they'll close out the first half of SWAC play by hosting Alabama State on Saturday night at 5 p.m. in the William Nicks Building.  The contest will be video streamed live on PANTHERVISION and can also be heard on KPVU 91.3 FM.

After picking up their first two SWAC wins on Jan. 12 and Jan. 14, Prairie View A&M struggled this past weekend on the road as they fell to both Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in contrasting results.  As a result, the Panthers missed a prime opportunity to move up in the SWAC standings as they're 2-5 in league play this season.

Shooting remains Prairie View A&M's Achilles' heel during SWAC play as they're shooting 34 percent as a team and only 22 percent from beyond the three-point arc.  The team has also struggled to hold on to the ball in key situations with an average of 14 turnovers per game.  Despite their shooting woes, PV ranks first in rebound offense (40.1), rebound margin (+3.9), offensive rebounds (15.2) and offensive rebound percentage (.380). The Panthers are ranked second in rebounding defense (36.2) and defensive rebounds (25.0).

Senior shooting guard Jourdan DeMuynck leads the Panthers with 14.3 points per game and is pulling down a team-high six rebounds per outing.  Senior guard Carl Blair follows with 10.5 points and a team-high five assists per outing.

Prairie View A&M swept Alabama State last season for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign and a win on Saturday would mark their longest winning streak in the series since winning three straight from February of 2006 to February of 2007.  However, Alabama State has won 16-of -23 games against the Panthers since 2001.  Led by longtime coach and former ASU basketball standout Lewis Jackson, the Hornets are 6-14 on the season and 4-13 in SWAC play.
Junior guard Joshua Freelove is the lone double-digit scorer for ASU with 12.5 points per game while 6-7 senior Shawntez Patterson is the top rebounder with 4.9 per game.

Prairie View A&M head coach Byron Rimm II has faced ASU 12 times and compiled a 6-6 mark.  He has swept the Hornets in the 2006-07, 2009-10 and 2011-12 campaigns.  In the Baby Dome, the Panthers have won two straight over ASU and 6-of-11 since 2001.  Rimm is 21-1 in the dome versus non-conference foes and 33-23 against SWAC opponents.

Prairie View A&M closes out its home swing on Monday night versus Alabama A&M at 7:30 p.m.