PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers won at home for the first time in more than a month Saturday as they defeated Alabama State 63-60.
 
The Lady Panthers (11-12, 8-7 SWAC) trailed by as many as 14 points midway through the third quarter, but outscored the Lady Hornets 21-4 over a span of eight minutes during the final two periods to reclaim the lead.
 
Senior forward Larissa Scott turned in a performance that was worthy of the team's Senior Day celebration. The fifth-year player from Cypress, Texas (Cypress Falls) tallied her ninth double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and pulling in 14 rebounds.
 
Tori Carter scored 15 points for the Lady Panthers to match her career high. Monique Abbs, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz. (Stone Mountain CC) contributed 13 points for the Prairie View A&M.
 
Alabama State's Britney Wright scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Lady Hornets (13-11), who fell to 11-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. Miracle Mayo lived up to her name, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double to go along with 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Prairie View A&M led throughout the first period, only to see its lead evaporate as the Lady Hornets outscored their hosts 20-8 in the second quarter. Alabama State outscored the Lady Panthers 10-2 over the last four minutes of the first half to take a 31-25 lead into halftime.
 
The Lady Hornets appeared poised to pull away from PVAMU when they scored a trio of unanswered baskets to stretch their lead to 41-29 between the 8:01 and 6:29 marks of the third quarter. Kayla Stephens scored four of her six points during that span.
 
Alabama State claimed its largest lead of the game when Ashanti Spencer converted a layup with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter to stretch the Lady Hornets lead to 45-31. The basket woke up the Lady Panthers, who trimmed the lead to eight with baskets on three consecutive possessions.
 
The run was part of eight consecutive PVAMU points, with Carter scoring a pair of fast-break layups during that stretch. The Lady Panthers ended the third period on 10-2 run as they cut Alabama State's lead to 47-41.
 
The Lady Panthers continued to have the hot hand in the fourth quarter, using a 9-0 run to turn a six-point deficit into a 52-49 lead. Lanikki McMillian ignited the run with a 3-pointer, and Abbs knocked down four consecutive free throws to cap the run with 6:26 left in the quarter.
 
The last five minutes of the game saw three ties and four lead changes. PVAMU took a three-point lead with a fast-break layup by Carter with 3:40 left to play, but that was answered with an ASU 3-pointer from Durriya Sampson 27 seconds later.
 
PVAMU again pushed themselves ahead when Scott hit a pair of free throws to make the score 62-60. ASU's first attempt at a tie was turned away, but the Lady Hornets immediately got the ball back when Wright forced a turnover in the backcourt. She got a great look at a layup, but it rattled out to give PVAMU the ball again.
 
The Lady Panthers kept the ball until the final 22 seconds when ASU forced another turnover. Wright again had the final shot, but her layup with four seconds left was off the mark, and Carter sealed the game at the free throw line.
 
TWEET of the GAME:

Now on a 3 game win streak, the Lady @PVAMUPanthers defeat the Lady Hornets of @ASUBUZZ 63-60! Make sure you tune into MBB coming up next!

— Jourdan Kerl (@JourdanKerl) February 27, 2016