Game 17 • SWAC Game 8 • January 30, 2016 • 4 p.m.Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers (8-8, 4-3 SWAC)
at
Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs (3-14, 2-5 SWAC)
T.M. Elmore Gymnasium •Â
Normal, Ala.Radio:
KPVU 91.3 FM (Play-by-play: Leonard Moon) The opening tipThe Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers aim for their fourth consecutive win Saturday when they visit the Lady Bulldogs of Alabama A&M. The Lady Panthers (8-8, 4-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) are coming off an 80-57 win over Mississippi Valley State to complete a 2-0 homestand last weekend.
Lamaria Cole scored a game-high 22 points in the win over Valley to push her scoring average up to 16.2 points per game.
Alexus Parker added 19 points for Prairie View A&M.
The seriesThe Lady Panthers and Lady Bulldogs have met each season since the 1998-99 season, when Alabama A&M jumped from the NCAA's Division II into Division I and the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Prairie View A&M leads the series 20-14, and has won the last six games over the Lady Bulldogs.
Players of the Week - Prairie View A&M players have taken four of the SWAC's 10 Player of the Week awards, more than any other team this season.
- Lamaria Cole was named the SWAC's most recent Player of the Week on Wednesday as she averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 assists per game during a 2-0 week.
- Cole was also the Week 4 recipient, averaging 22.0 points and 5.0 assists in helping to lead PVAMU to victories over Louisiana Tech and Lamar.
- Larissa Scott was the recipient of the first two awards, averaging 17.7 points and 16.0 rebounds per game as PVAMU started the season 2-1.
Cole leading the SWAC
- PVAMU's Lamaria Cole (5-7 • G • Sr.) leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in two major statistical categories – assists (4.3 apg) and steals (3.3 spg)
- Cole's 3.3 steals per game also ranks seventh among all Division I players.
- With 68 assists and 83 turnovers, her 0.82 assists-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the SWAC.
- She ranks third in the conference in scoring with an average of 16.2 points per game.
- Cole ranks second in the SWAC with 34.2 minutes played per game, behind her teammate Larissa Scott (37.1).
Scott commands attention
- Larissa Scott (6-0 • F • Sr.) has made the most of her fifth year after being granted a medical redshirt last season. Scott played in only five games during the 2014-15 season before succumbing to injury.
- Her 11.0 rebounds per game leads the SWAC and ranks 16th nationally.
- Scott ranks third nationally with 5.1 offensive rebounds per game, four-hundredths lower than the national leaders.
- She ranks 12th in the conference with 10.9 points per game.
- Scott's six double-doubles this season is tied for the SWAC lead with Ashley Beals (Mississippi Valley State) and Norianna Haynes (Alcorn State).
- Scott claimed the SWAC's first two Player of the Week honors this season, averaging 17.7 points and 16.0 rebounds over PVAMU's first three games.
Relying on the starters
- Three Prairie View A&M players rank among the top four in the SWAC in minutes played per game.
- Larissa Scott leads the conference with an average of 36.3 minutes played per game.
- Lamaria Cole ranks second with 342 minutes played per contest.
- Alexus Parker (33.9 mpg) ranks fourth in the conference, averaging just 12 seconds per game less than Christina Reed of Mississippi Valley State.
On the Road Again …
- The Lady Panthers are 3-7 away from the Prairie View A&M campus. They are 3-6 in true road games, and lost 79-58 to North Dakota State on a neutral court (Wichita State).
- Prairie View A&M defeated Jackson State 62-52 in the team's most recent road game on Jan. 18, snapping a six-game losing streak away from home in the process.
- The Lady Panthers also have road wins at Nicholls State and Louisiana Tech; the win at Louisiana Tech was the Lady Techsters' first loss to a current SWAC opponent in 40 years.
- PVAMU averages 58.3 points per game and allows their opponents 72.7 points per contest away from Prairie View.
- Lamaria Cole averages 15.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in road games and neutral-court games.
- Larissa Scott's rebounding average leaves her just shy of averaging a double-double away from home (10.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game). She shoots 50.5 percent (49 of 97) from the field in such games.
- Alexus Parker averages 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest outside Waller County, Texas.
… to Sweet Home Alabama
- The Lady Panthers are 21-8 in the state of Alabama over the last decade. That record includes an 8-1 postseason record as the Lady Panthers claimed the 2007 and '09 SWAC Tournament championships in Birmingham.
- Prairie View A&M compiled a 13-7 record on the SWAC's Alabama road trip between 2006 and 2015.
- The Lady Panthers are 7-3 at Alabama State, and 6-4 at Alabama A&M during that time.
- Five current Lady Panthers have previously played four-year college basketball games in Alabama.
- Alexus Parker has averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest over four games on the two previous Alabama trips. She shoots 47.4 percent from the field (18 of 38) and 83.3 percent (10 of 12) from the free throw line.
- Larissa Scott has averaged 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds over four games in Alabama, shooting 48 percent (12 of 25) from the field and 84.6 percent (11 of 13) from the line. She has not appeared in a game for PVAMU on this trip since 2013.
S-I-N, K-I-T! Sink it, Panthers, sink it!
- Entering Saturday's contest at Alabama A&M, the Lady Panthers lead the SWAC in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
- The Lady Panthers shoot 41.3 percent (399 of 965) from the field, two-hundredths of a percent ahead of the SWAC's No. 2-shooting team, Texas Southern.
- PVAMU shoots 29.7 percent (66 of 222) from behind the 3-point arc, ahead of Texas Southern (29.5 percent) and Alabama State (29.2 percent).
- Lamaria Cole ranks third in the SWAC with a 32.0 3-point percentage (24 of 75).
Parker heating up
- Alexus Parker (5-10 • G • Jr.) has been a steady force for the Lady Panthers during the 2015-16 season.
- She averages 10.9 points per game, and is shooting 41.1 percent (67 of 163), which puts her on pace for her best shooting percentage in a season.
- She is averaging 5.7 rebounds per contest, on pace to exceed her previous best in rebounding.
- Parker averages 12.4 points per game in SWAC play, which ranks second on the team.
- She has averaged 14.8 points per contest over Prairie View A&M's last four games.
Team leaders lead in crunch time
- PVAMU's top scorers – Lamaria Cole and Larissa Scott – are the go-to players in the fourth quarter this season.
- The duo shoots a combined 52.1 percent from the field during the game's final quarter (50 of 96).
- All other players are shooting 34.7 percent from the floor (49 of 141) in the fourth quarter.
- Scott averages 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per fourth quarter, and has made 64.7 percent (22 of 34) of her field goal attempts.
- Cole averages 4.6 points per fourth quarter – nearly a third of the team's total output – and shoots 45.2 percent (28 of 62) from the field.
- Alexus Parker averages 2.3 points per fourth quarter, and is the team's best free throw shooter, making 76.5 percent (13 of 17) of her attempts.
Hey (Lady) Bulldog(s)
- The Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs enter Saturday's game against Prairie View A&M with a 3-14 record, and a 2-5 record in SWAC play.
- The Lady Bulldogs swept Arkansas–Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State at home during the second weekend of SWAC play for their two league wins.
- Their only other win came at home against in-state Division II opponent Tuskegee.
- Alabama A&M will try to snap a three-game losing streak, all on the road. They were outscored by an average of 30.3 points per game during that stretch.
- Janie Myles (5-11 • F • Sr.) leads the team in scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).
Lady Panthers vs. Alabama A&M
- The Lady Panthers lead the all-time series with Alabama A&M 20-14. Their .588 win percentage of the Lady Bulldogs is their second-highest mark against any SWAC opponent.
- The series dates back to the 1998-99 season, when Alabama A&M joined the SWAC after moving up from the NCAA's Division II.
- Prairie View A&M has won eight of the last 11 meetings between the two teams, and have a six-game winning streak against the Lady Bulldogs.
- The Lady Panthers have an all-time record of 8-9 on the road at Alabama A&M.
- The teams have never met in the postseason.
