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HOUSTON – With it being the month of March, it's time for the Prairie View A&M the women's basketball team to up its level of play as the three-time defending SWAC Tournament Champion.  The Lady Panthers rose to the occasion and snapped their three-game losing streak at the right time with a hard-fought 71-61 win over Alabama State Thursday evening at the Toyota Center.

 Both teams split the season series and the game reflected it early on with five lead changes in the first eight minutes.  Prairie View A&M went up by six (17-11) with 11:53 left but had trouble keeping the Hornets at bay as ASU kept hanging around.  With 5:21 remaining, the Lady Panthers finally settled into a groove as they went on a 9-1 run which was keyed by their post trio of Asha Hampton-Finch, Shamiya Brooks and Larissa Scott.  Ahead 34-24 at the 1:48 mark, Alabama State closed to within 34-28 but senior guard LaReahn Washington drove in the lane and converted a huge layup to send PVAMU into the half ahead 36-28.

An Alexus Parker jumper upped the lead to 38-29 48 seconds into the second half but the Lady Hornets started pounding the basket as they grabbed eight offensive rebounds for an assortment of second chance points.  PVAMU slowed down offensively as they shot 3-of-9 from the field but it was just enough to hold off ASU as the game was tied at 47-all at the 10:26 mark.

With their shots struggling to go in, the Lady Panthers went to their bread and butter – free throw shooting – down the stretch.  The Lady Panthers led, albeit it was close, down the stretch as freshman Alexus Parker was money from the free throw line along with hitting timely baskets.

A Parker jumper gave PVAMU a five-point (59-54) margin with 4:56 left and the Lady Panthers survived to live another day as they nailed 11-of-20 free throws over the final 3:57 to seal the win and advance to the quarterfinals on Friday evening.

Jeanette Jackson scored a game-high 25 points and logged five steals.  Washington followed with 14 points, six steals and three assists while Shamiya Brooks blocked four shots and grabbed nine boards with 13 points.  Parker chipped in with 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds in her first-ever SWAC Tournament.

PVAMU will battle Southern at 6 p.m. on Friday in the semifinal round in the Toyota Center.  The Lady Panthers will be part of a PVAMU doubleheader as the men's team will play at 8:30 p.m. against Alabama A&M.