BOX SCORE
JACKSON, Miss. - The Lady Panthers had their chances to claim victory Monday night versus Jackson State, but a few missed opportunities resulted in a 62-56 loss on the road in Jackson, Miss.
Prairie View A&M fought back from a late 52-44 deficit in the second half by going on an 8-0 run in one minute. Sophomore point guard Jeanette Jackson was the spark in that run. She scored on a layup, drew the foul and converted the free-throw shot to complete a three-point play with 7:39 left. She then capped off the run with a driving layup to tie the game at 52-52 with 6:42 remaining. Prairie View A&M forced three turnovers during the run and tallied two steals.
The Lady Panthers went on to score just four points in the final six minutes of regulation, going 2-for-7 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Prairie View A&M actually looked to be in control after sophomore center Larissa Scott drained two free throws with 2:52 left to give her team a 56-54 lead. However, a string of costly turnovers and missed rebound opportunities led to Jackson State outscoring the Lady Panthers 10-0 to close out the game.
Jackson finished with a season-high 18 points and one assist for Prairie View A&M. Scott recorded her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Latia Williams and Jackson were the catalysts for the Lady Panthers' offense in the first half. Williams led all scorers in the first half with 12 points and added one rebound and one assist (She went scoreless in the second half). Jackson's ability to penetrate and finish at the rim gave Prairie View A&M an advantage in the first half. She had eight points and one assist, while Scott had five points and six rebounds at the half.
Defensively, Prairie View A&M didn't seem to play to its No. 1 SWAC ranking in the first half. They allowed Jackson State to get into the lane and shoot 57 percent from the field. The Lady Tigers were limited to 41.7 percent shooting in the second half. Ayanna Hardy-Fuller and Demara Howard were particularly effective in the fist half, scoring eight points each. The duo combined to shoot 8-for-9 in the first half, scoring a majority of their points in the lane.
Prairie View A&M will host Mississippi Valley State at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in the William Nicks Building. The theme for the game will be Shade Out MVSU. The first 250 students will receive Prairie View A&M themed sun shades.
