BOX SCORE

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Panthers came through in the clutch. They made key shots and held Alabama A&M to zero percent shooting from the floor in the overtime period en route to a 61-57 win in Huntsville, Ala. for their first Alabama road sweep since 2002-03 and first under head coach Byron Rimm II.

Jourdan DeMuynck played like a man possessed, scoring 27 points points, grabbing 11 rebounds while helping his team to the win. Ignoring a cramp, which he suffered late in the second half, DeMuynck scored four of his team's six points in overtime. With the game tied at 55, DeMuynck missed an off-balanced three, but he followed it up with a rebound and a tip-in to give Prairie View A&M the 57-55 lead with 4:07 left.  

Alabama A&M's Green Hill tied the game after knocking down two free throws with 3:08 remaining, but Panthers junior forward Jules Montgomery countered on the next possession with a jumper to give Prairie View A&M a 59-57 advantage with 2:53 left. Meanwhile, stifling defense by the Panthers left what was a ruckus Alabama A&M crowd stunned and quiet as the Bulldogs went 0-for-4 in the overtime period. DeMuynck then put the nail in the coffin with a pull-up jumper with two minutes left to put the Panthers up 61-57.

To get to the overtime period the Panthers ran down Alabama A&M from behind and closed out the second half on a four-minute, 7-1 run. Jules Montgomery scored four of his eight points during that run, and Ryan Gesiakowski also drained a clutch three to add to his nine-point night.

After a tip-in by Montgomery with 34 seconds remaining to tie it at 55, the Panthers turned to their defense to try to close the game out. They seemed to have the overtime period in their sights, when senior point guard Carl Blair trapped Alabama A&M's Jeremy Crutcher in the corner. Crutcher, however, fell out of bounds and Blair was called for the foul while the Panthers were in the double bonus. With the crowd on pins and needles, Crutcher missed both free throws to send the game into overtime where the Panthers dominated.

Senior center Mayol Riathin also played a major role in the victory. Coach Byron Rimm II praised Riathin's ability to do the little things and secure the 50-50 balls that were so critical in the win. He pulled down nine rebounds and had four points in the win.

Now the Panthers will try to close out their season with wins in their final home-stand of the year. They will host Alcorn State in a 7:30 p.m. game on Thursday at the William Nicks Building, and then will close it out on Saturday on senior day at 5 p.m.  With only two games left and seeding on the line for the upcoming SWAC Tournament, protecting homecourt is of the essence as the team has the inside track for the No. 2 seed.