PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Grambling State Lady Tigers pulled away from Prairie View A&M in the second half Saturday and claimed a 51-44 win over the Lady Panthers.
 
Shakyla Hill's 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting led the Lady Tigers (11-12), who improved to 8-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.
 
PVAMU's Larissa Scott returned to action after a one-game absence and poured in a team-high 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She also blocked five shots – tying a career-high – as she came off the bench for the first time this season.
 
Alexus Parker scored 11 points and pulled in seven rebounds for the Lady Panthers; Lamaria Cole added seven points and three assists for Prairie View A&M (9-11, 5-6 SWAC).
 
The Lady Panthers donned pink jerseys for their annual Think Pink game for Breast Cancer Awareness. Many teams throughout the NCAA participate in this initiative.
 
The setback was the third consecutive loss for the Lady Panthers.
 
The Lady Panthers return to action Monday when they host Jackson State. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Lady Tigers seized control of the game early, scoring nine unanswered points after ceding a 3-pointer to Lamaria Cole. Hill, a freshman, scored seven of those points as Grambling established a 9-3 lead barely two minutes into the game.
 
After a basket from Parker, a 7-0 run by the Lady Tigers gave them a 16-5 lead right at the game's first media timeout with 5:17 left to play in the quarter. PVAMU cut their deficit from 10 to six with layups from Scott and Parker in the quarter's final minute.
 
The Lady Panthers held the upper hand in the second quarter, scoring the first 10 points of the period while holding their visitors for scoreless for more than eight minutes. A 3-pointer from Cole capped the run and gave the Lady Panthers a 27-23 lead with 1:45 left before halftime.
 
Grambling reclaimed the lead with five unanswered points – its only points of the quarter – before Scott reclaimed the lead for PVAMU with a layup six seconds before halftime.
 
But just as the Lady Panthers set the tone in the second quarter, so did the Lady Tigers in the third quarter. Grambling scored 11 unanswered points between 8:32 and 4:03 marks of the quarter to claim a 39-31 lead.
 
With a 41-35 lead heading into the final 10 minutes, the Lady Tigers pulled away for good with a 10-1 run between the start of the quarter and the 2:48 mark of the fourth period, giving Grambling a 51-36 advantage. PVAMU finished the quarter on an 8-0 run, but it was not enough to swing the momentum.
 
GAME NOTES: