RUSTON, La. – A pair of first half runs by Louisiana Tech was the difference as the Bulldogs claimed a 77-58 win over Prairie View A&M on Monday night.

Four turnovers within the first four minutes set the tone as LA Tech jumped out to a 10-0 lead.  Zach Hamilton scored PVAMU's first points of the night with a pair of free throws followed by Avery Lomax's basket to cut the deficit to 10-4 with 14:41 remaining.  The Bulldogs would outscore the Panthers 5-0 over the next two minutes to move ahead by double digits but the Panthers remained within striking distance as they trailed by only seven (19-12) after Admassu Williams' layup.

LA Tech broke the game open towards the latter end of the half as they outscored the Panthers 20-6 to up the advantage to 39-18 at the 1:59 mark.  The Panthers fell behind partly due to a 3-for-11 shooting performance from the field and four turnovers as they went into the half down 41-20.

Prairie View A&M had a hill too high to climb in the second half as Tech maintained its 20-point margin for most of the half. However, the Panthers kept on fighting as they closed out the contest on a 12-2 run fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Malik Amos.

Williams led the Panthers with 12 points while Jordan Giddings chipped in 11.  Karim York was the top rebounder with seven boards and two blocks.

The Panthers now turn their attention to league play as they'll face Alcorn State at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday inside the William J. Nicks Building.