ITTA BENA, Miss. –
Troy Thompson and
Shay'rone Jett each posted season-high performances to lead the Prairie View A&M University men's basketball team to an 87-72 win at Mississippi Valley State Saturday afternoon.
Thompson scored 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including four of six from three-point range and making all four free throws while adding six rebounds and two steals. Jett scored 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including making both three-point attempts and all five free throws along with seven rebounds.
The current three-game winning streak is the longest by the Panthers (6-14 overall, 3-3 SWAC) since winning seven straight contests during the 2014-15 season.
"I'm proud of the team," said PVAMU head coach
Byron Smith. "Just a total buy in by them. It hasn't always been easy playing here, but it's been a complete total buy in by the players. I'm ecstatic, elated, and so happy with them that they were able to come out and play in PV fashion and be able to get a big-time road win."
There were nine ties and 10 lead changes in the first half as neither team by more than five points in the first 17+ minutes. Thompson scored 14 points in the first half, and his second made three pointer gave the Panthers the lead for good, 33-30, with just over two minutes to play until halftime. The made three by Thompson sparked an 8-1 run to give the Panthers a 39-31 halftime lead.
The run continued in the second half.
Tevin Bellinger, who scored 12 points, scored on the first possession of the second half, before Thompson scored eight straight PVAMU points on a layup and a pair of three-pointers for a 49-33 lead less than two minutes into the second half.
Following a made three-pointer by Miss Valley State (2-17, 2-4), a three-pointer by Jett and a pair of free throws by
Zachary Hamilton gave the Panthers their largest lead of the night, a 54-36 advantage with 15:26 remaining.
After taking a double-digit lead early in the second half, PVAMU led by less than 10 only once over the final 19+ minutes. Jett scored 14 points after halftime as the Panthers shot 61.5 percent from the field (16-of-26) in scoring 48 second-half points. The Panthers shot 52.7 percent from the field for the game (29-55), including 9-of-16 from three-point range, and made 20 of 22 from the free throw line.
PVAMU returns to action Monday at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a 7:30 p.m. game with a live radio broadcast on KPVU 91.3 FM.
