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PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers officially open the 2015-16 basketball season Friday when they host Howard Payne at William J. Nicks Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
 
For the first time in five years, the Lady Panthers begin their season without the moniker of "defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champions." The 2015-16 edition of the Lady Panthers gives head coach Dawn Brown the personnel she needs to bring the school a second conference championship in her third year at the helm.
 
Headlining this year's edition of the Lady Panthers are preseason All-SWAC selections Alexus Parker and Shamiya Brooks. Parker, an All-SWAC First Team selection, averaged 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 2014-15. Her 10.2 points per game leads all returning PVAMU players.
 
Prairie View A&M also returns senior post Shamiya Brooks, who averaged a double-double in conference play last season and was named to the All-SWAC Second Team. Brooks is currently injured but expects to return in time for conference play in January.
 
The Lady Panthers welcomed five new players to the squad for the 2015-16 season, and saw the return of two other key contributors – senior guard LaMaria Cole and senior forward Larissa Scott. Scott was a preseason all-conference honoree in 2014-15, but was granted a medical redshirt after playing in only five games last season before succumbing to injury.
 
Cole, was sidelined in mid-January after averaging 6.4 points and 1.7 assists per contest over 17 games.
 
Among Prairie View A&M's newcomers to the squad is junior forward Jeronia Allen, a 5-foot-10-inch forward who transferred from Itawamba Community College in Mississippi. After averaging 11.6 points per game last season, Allen had an impressive debut in PVAMU's exhibition win over Our Lady of the Lake Sunday, scoring 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
 
Rounding out the likely starting five for the Lady Panthers is NCAA Division I transfer Tori Carter. The Atlanta native sat out last season after transferring from UNC–Charlotte; she scored nine points Sunday against OLLU.
 
The Lady Panthers were picked to finish fourth in the regular season standings according to the preseason poll of SWAC coaches.
 
Howard Payne, an NCAA Division III program located in Brownwood, Texas, is coming off a 16-11 season. The Lady Jackets are coached by Meia Daniels, who as a senior at Howard Payne in 2008, helped lead the team to an NCAA Division III championship and undefeated 33-0 season.