BOX SCORE
With seeding at stake for the upcoming SWAC Tournament, Prairie View A&M dropped an important game on Saturday as Alabama A&M claimed an important 72-65 win inside the William Nicks Building.
AAMU came off the bus shooting as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead slightly past the five minute mark. The Panthers finally woke up and closed to within 15-13 behind a 9-1 run which was keyed by Demondre Chapman and Montrael Scott. Alabama A&M regained the upper hand as a pair of treys fueled a 9-0 surge for a 23-13 advantage at the 6:36 mark.
Senior guard Louis Munks willed the Panthers through their troubles with a pair of three-pointers to fuel a 9-2 run for a 25-22 Panther deficit. AAMU's Brandon Ellis answered with a trey on the ensuing possession to up its lead to 28-22 but a three-point play the old-fashioned way by John Brisco brought the team within 28-25. The Panthers failed to score from that point as the Bulldogs claimed a 30-25 halftime margin.
Two treys by the Bulldogs fueled an 11-4 run to open the second half as the Panthers fell behind by a score of 40-29 less than three minutes in. With the game slipping away, the Panthers clawed back in over the next eight minutes with a 14-5 run which saw several players chip in to reduce the gap. However, AAMU responded with a pair of Nicholas West three-pointers coupled with two Jeremy Crutcher free throws to lead 53-45 with 8:34 left. The Panthers stepped it up on both ends of the court as Demondre Chapman threw down a dunk followed by a Tre Hagood jumper and three points from Louis Munks for a 53-52 deficit with 6:02 left.
The same script repeated itself once again as the Panthers could not claim the lead as they were hurt by a pair of turnovers and missed shots. With 3:10 left, AAMU's Arthur Capers nailed a three-pointer for a six-point lead and the Panthers failed to counter as they missed their next two shots.Â
Prairie View A&M would draw within five points on two occasions over the next minute but AAMU found ways to answer and hold on as they swept the season series over the Panthers for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
Scott led the Panthers with 15 points followed by 14 points from Munks and 12 from Brisco. Chapman topped all Panthers with seven rebounds followed by six each from Louis Munks and Jules Montgomery.
The team closes out its 2014 home schedule on Monday night as they'll face Alabama State at 7:30 p.m. inside the Baby Dome.