HOUSTON – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers saw their season come to an end Thursday after falling to Grambling State 60-56 in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Toyota Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
At the Toyota Center, Monisha Neal tallied a double-double with 10 rebounds and 16 points – including the game-clinching pair of free throws with 11 seconds left – for the Lady Tigers, who improved to 17-13 for the season.
 
Prairie View A&M's Lamaria Cole scored 15 points and pulled in eight rebounds in her final collegiate game. Juniors Tori Carter, Lanikki McMillian, and Alexus Parker all scored 11 points for the Lady Panthers.
 
Senior guards Monique Abbs and Taylor Overshown each set statistical career highs in their final games in the PVAMU uniform. Abbs, who also hit clutch 3-pointers in the second half, recorded a career-best five steals in addition to scoring eight points. Overshown secured a team-high 1- rebounds Thursday, which also marked a career high.
 
Grambling's Shakyla Hill scored 14 points for the Lady Tigers, while John'ea Thompson added seven points and claimed a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
TWEET of the GAME (with a view of how it looked on the Toyota Center's video board):

This shot from @Parker_Alexus3 went in to give #PVwbb a 29-28 lead, Grambling hits a layup as the 1st half expired. pic.twitter.com/5w0bFSdwO9

— PVAMU Women's Hoops (@PVAMUwbb) March 11, 2016

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Lady Tigers jumped out to an 8-1 lead less than three minutes into the game, but the Lady Panthers regrouped and scored the next seven points. Parker hit a 3-pointer and Cole converted a pair of layups, with the second one tying the game with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
• Grambling stretched its lead to 27-21 when Hill knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining until halftime to cap a 9-2 run. The Lady Panthers responded with an 8-1 run, reclaiming a 29-28 lead when Parker hit a jumper from the right corner with 27 seconds remaining in the half.
• PVAMU's lead was short-lived as GSU's Aliah Kennedy converted a layup as the half expired.
• The Lady Panthers overcame another deficit in the third quarter as they scored six unanswered points in fewer than 90 seconds to reclaim a 41-40 lead. Another jumper from Parker allowed PVAMU to regain the advantage.
• Grambling regained its lead at the free throw line in the final minute as Jazmine Boyd sank a pair of shots to give the Lady Tigers a 46-43 lead with six seconds remaining in the third. Abbs checked back into the game and knocked down a 3-pointer as the quarter expired to the score.
• As was the case in the earlier periods, Grambling would again build a lead – this time of six points with 5:18 left in the game – but as it was many times before, it would not stand.
• The Lady Panthers scored six of the next eight points, with Abbs hitting another big 3-pointer to tie the game at 56 with 1:37 remaining.
• Grambling used the entirety of its shot clock on the next possession before Thompson sank a layup to give the Lady Tigers a 58-56 lead with 1:04 remaining.
• McMillian, one of PVAMU's best 3-point shooters, had a chance to reclaim the lead for the Lady Panthers, but her long-range shot with 36 seconds left ended up in the hands of the Lady Tigers.
• A pair of quick fouls by the Lady Panthers got the Lady Tigers to the free throw line, where Neal iced the game by making both free throws.

 
GAME NOTES:

• The Lady Tigers were the No. 4 seed with a 13-5 SWAC record. PVAMU was the No. 5 seed with a 9-9 league record.
• Thursday's game was the first postseason contest between the two teams since 2011. PVAMU had won its last three postseason games over the Lady Tigers.
• Grambling won its first postseason game over the Lady Panthers since 2003.
• After having lost 22 of their previous 23 meetings with Prairie View A&M since 2006, the Lady Tigers swept three games from the Lady Panthers in 2016.
• Grambling entered the game leading the conference with scoring (65.7 points per game) and turnover margin (+5.48). PVAMU held them under their season scoring average, but the Lady Tigers were consistent on giveaways, forcing 20 turnovers while giving the ball away 14 times.
• Cole's 15 points helped her eclipse the 500-point mark for her PVAMU career, as she finished with 501 points in two seasons with the Lady Panthers after transferring from Kansas.
• Larissa Scott, the only player in the SWAC to average a double-double, was unable to play after suffering a concussion last week at Southern. She finishes her career with 959 points and 922 rebounds, and an average of 8.2 points and 7.9 rebounds over 117 games.
• Scott averaged 12.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the 2015-16 season.
• Alexus Parker will be the next player on the 1,000-point watch – she finishes her junior season with 849 career points for the Lady Panthers. As the third-leading scorer for Prairie View A&M this season, she reached her 151st point this season six games into SWAC play.