BOX SCORE

The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers watched a second-half lead slip away and couldn't go the distance in a 58-53 loss to Mississippi Valley State on Saturday afternoon in the William Nicks Building.

Prairie View A&M came out on fire in the second half, outscoring MVSU 14-6 in the first five minutes of the period to take a 39-33 lead out of the gates. The Lady Panthers trailed 27-25 at halftime, but sophomore point guard Jeanette Jackson and junior guard Kiara Etienne took over during that run to seemingly put the Lady Panthers in control. Jackson scored four of her 11 points and dished out an assist in the first five minutes of the second half, and Etienne scored seven points during the run.

The Devilettes found a way to fight back and counter Prairie View A&M's attack. After a hot start, the Lady Panthers were reduced to 31.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half. MVSU capitalized on that shooting slump and forged a comeback, eventually taking a 49-48 lead on a Lenise Stallings' layup with 5:35 left in the game. Prairie View A&M did not recover from that run, and lost it's second game in a row. The Lady Panthers had not lost a home game since Jan. 6 when Texas Southern beat them 64-57.

Etienne scored a team-high 15 points and had three rebounds, while Jackson contributed with her third-consecutive game scoring in double figures. Latia Williams entered the game as the Southwestern Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, but she had her worst shooting performance of the season (1-for-7 from the field). She finished with four points, five assists and 14 rebounds. Freshman forward Chelsea Azore tied a season-high with eight points.

For Mississippi Valley, freshman post Khristina Clemons wreaked havoc in the paint. She finished with a game-high 17 points and five rebounds. Guard Joyncee Sanders also provided 13 points, five assists and six turnovers for the Devilettes.

The Lady Panthers hope to bounce back with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a 5:30 p.m. game on Monday at the Baby Dome. The Lady Panthers will participate in their annual Play 4 Kay game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and make donations to the Kay Yow foundation to support research to find the cure for breast cancer.  Also, the first 250 fans will receive commemorative pink back packs.