MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Ryan Gesiakowski came through in a huge way for Prairie View A&M, finding his touch from downtown in a 65-56 win over Alabama State Saturday night in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.  The win was a history-making one for the Panthers as it marked the first time ever the team has defeated Alabama State in four consecutive matchups.

Gesiakowski shot his way out of a shooting slump that had been plaguing him in Southwestern Athletic Conference play and the sharpshooter went 4-for-8 from downtown en route to a 16-point performance. That was his highest scoring total since Dec. 15, 2012 when he scored 14 in a loss to UCLA. He was one of four Panthers starters to score in double figures.

Jourdan DeMuynck had a team-high 17 points, picking up 13 of those in the second half as Prairie View A&M simply dominated Alabama State in the final 20 minutes. Trailing 29-24 at the break, the Panthers outscored the Hornets 41-27 in the second half, shooting 48 percent from the field (12-of-25) to the Hornets' 38.2 percent (11-of-28) and hitting 70.6 percent from the foul line (12-of-17) to the Hornet's 33.3 percent (2-of-6).

The Panthers trailed for most of the game, but they finished strong. Prairie View A&M took its first lead off of a DeMuynck three with 14:59 remaining to go up 36-33. From that point Alabama State and Prairie View A&M battled back and fourth, with four lead changes and five ties before the Panthers pulled away. The Hornets' Joshua Freelove (21 points) hit a three with 2:50 remaining in the game to cut his team's deficit to 57-56. 

However, from that point the Panthers embarked on a 9-0 run to close out the game, holding Alabama State scoreless in the final moments as they improved to 7-8 in the SWAC standings. Carl Blair finished with 12 points, four steals and three assists. Jules Montgomery scored 10 points and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double.

The Panthers look to finish out their road trip with a win at Alabama A&M. The two teams will face off at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Huntsville, Ala.