BOX SCORE
A promising start gave way to a disappointing ending as Prairie View A&M's winning streak came to an end as Mississippi Valley State claimed a 81-72 win in the William Nicks Building on Monday night in Prairie View.
For the second straight game, the Panthers came out on cruise control with a 21-9 lead midway through the first half. The good times continued to roll from that point as Louis Munks nailed a trey for a 17-point lead with 7:21 left but Mississippi Valley's Vacha Vaughn scored seven straight points along with four points from DeAngelo Priar to cut its deficit to 31-22 with 4:12 remaining. Led by PVAMU junior guard John Brisco's seven points, the Panthers got the crowd back on their feet with a 12-4 run and a 43-26 margin with 1:12 left in the half. MVSU's Cameron Dobbs nailed a trey to close within 14 as the Panthers took a 43-29 lead into the break.
The Panthers had a comfortable 16-point lead to open the second half following a dunk from Jules Montgomery with 18:23 left. However, the Panthers got into foul trouble from that point as MVSU was in the bonus situation less than four minutes in. Playing with a different lineup to open the second stanza, MVSU exploded with a 20-6 run over the next five minutes as they shot 5-for-6 from the field compared to a 2-of-7 performance by the Panthers.
With the lead narrowed down to 53-51 at the 13:01 mark, PVAMU woke up and went on an 8-2 surge to claim a 61-53 margin three minutes later as Montrael Scott scored six points during the run. But once again, MVSU found success both inside and outside as they outscored the Panthers 13-4 over the next five minutes to claim a 66-65 lead with 5:11 left. Prairie View A&M continued to scratch and claw over the next few minutes as the lead changed hands twice.
Ahead 71-68 with 3:34 left in the contest following 1-of-2 free throws from Louis Munks, the Panthers committed an inadvertent foul which sent MVSU to the charity stripe as no time left the clock. MVSU's James Currington hit both free throws to close within 71-70 and after a blocked shot, the Delta Devils claimed the lead for good with a 72-71 margin after a layup from Anthony McDonald. The Panthers missed two consecutive three-point attempts on the ensuing possession and MVSU countered with another layup from McDonald for a 74-71 advantage with 2:16 left.
PVAMU once again struggled down the stretch with two more missed layups and a late turnover which led to two more free throws by MVSU. MVSU added six shots down the stretch to seal the win as the Panthers saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.
Brisco topped all scorers with 20 points and six rebounds followed by 19 from Scott and 15 from Demondre Chapman. Scott also added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Panthers will head back on the road this weekend with its Alabama swing which begins at Alabama State on Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.Â