HOUSTON - The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team begins its 2014 SWAC Tournament run this evening versus Alabama State at the Toyota Center in Downtown Houston at 5:30 p.m..  The contest will be streamed live KPVU 91.3 FM and the OpenMic Broadcast Network.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTES

This is the time of year when PVAMU shines as the Lady Panthers are the reigning three-time SWAC Tournament Champion with a 9-0 postseason mark since 2011.  Since returning to tourney play in 2007, PVAMU is 17-2 in SWAC Tournament contests with its last tourney loss to Alabama State (first round in Shreveport, La.) in 2010.

Sophomore post Shamiya Brooks has grabbed five or more rebounds in 15 of the team's 18 SWAC contests this season.  She also has recorded 48 blocks on the season for an average of 1.8 per game. She has recorded 32 blocks over the past 13 games and has four career double-doubles. 

The Lady Panthers are very familiar with Alabama State as both teams met on March 3 in Prairie View, Texas.  The teams split the season series with each other and will meet each other in postseason play for the third time since 2008 as PVAMU claimed wins in 2008 (74-57) and 2012 (62-35) while Alabama State won in 2010 (50-48).

Junior guard Jeanette Jackson has doubled her scoring average from last season as she's scoring an average of 19.2 points per outing.  She's a four-time SWAC Player of the Week honoree this season, an All-SWAC First Teamer and has already surpassed 1,000 points in her career.  She needs 61 points for the all-time PVAMU single season scoring title.

Alabama State leads the all-time series 38-26 but PVAMU has won five of the past six games and claimed 16-of-19 wins dating back to 2007.

The Lady Panthers were picked to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this season after capturing their third consecutive NCAA Tournament Berth and SWAC Tournament Championship in 2013.