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PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers open Southwestern Athletic Conference play on Saturday as they host the Lady Braves of Alcorn State.
 
The teams will play the first game of a doubleheader with the men, with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. at William J. Nicks Arena.
 
The Lady Panthers (4-5) are off to their best nine-game start since the 2010-11 season, when they would go on to win the first of four consecutive SWAC tournament championships. However, PVAMU will try to snap a four-game losing streak today against the Lady Braves.
 
Prior to the team's current losing streak, the Lady Panthers started the season 4-1, matching the program's best start since the 1986-87 season. Prairie View A&M claimed a big win at Louisiana Tech, and also recorded wins at Nicholls State and at home over Lamar.
 
The latter two wins marked the first time since the 2007-08 season the Lady Panthers have beaten two teams from the Southland Conference in the same year. In defeating the Lady Techsters, Prairie View A&M handed Louisiana Tech its first loss to a SWAC opponent in 40 years.
 
The Lady Panthers lead the SWAC in field goal percentage (39.9 percent), and rank second in the conference in scoring with 61.8 points per contest. PVAMU was leading the conference in scoring prior to an 88-30 setback at Nos. 16/14 Texas A&M on Tuesday.
 
Prairie View A&M is led by 5-foot-7 senior guard Lamaria Cole, who leads the conference in assists (4.4 apg) and steals (3.3 spg). She ranks second in the league in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per contest.
 
The frontcourt is led by 6-foot senior forward Larissa Scott, whose 11.2 rebounds per game leads the SWAC. With 6.6 offensive rebounds per game, Scott leads the entire nation in that category.
 
Scott's total rebounding average and Cole's steals per game both rank 11th in the nation in their respective categories.
 
Today's game will be the 75th between Alcorn State and Prairie View A&M since the start of the NCAA Women's Basketball era in 1981. Alcorn State leads the series 53-21, though the Lady Panthers have won eight of the last 12 meetings.
 
Alcorn State swept the regular season series from the Lady Panthers last year, but Prairie View A&M had the final say, defeating the Lady Braves 66-59 in the opening round of the 2015 SWAC Tournament.
 
The Lady Braves are led by senior forward Norianna Haynes, who averages 8.2 rebounds and a SWAC-leading 19.2 points per game.