Prairie View, Texas - The Prairie View A&M men's basketball team completed the season sweep of Mississippi Valley State University, triumphing 82-69, as the Panthers shot 52 percent from the field and four panthers finished in double figures.
Tevin Bellinger stuffed the stat sheet, as he led all scorers with 24 points, snared 8 boards, and was active in the passing lane, finishing with 5 steals.
Zachary Hamilton finished the contest with 20 points on 7-14 shooting from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe.
Troy Thompson added 14 points on 41 percent shooting.
Ja'Donta Blakley chipped in with 12 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds.
PVAMU broke fast out of the gates, taking an 8-0 advantage less than 90 seconds into the contest thanks to a trio of jump shots from Hamilton,
Troy Thompson, and Bellinger. However, MVSU would battle back, taking an 11-10 lead with 14:42 remaining in the opening half on a Isaac Williams jump shot. The contest would remain close throughout the majority of the first half, but the Panthers would outscore the Delta Devils 21-8 in the final 9:33 of the half to take a 42-29 lead at halftime.
Prairie View started slow after halftime unable to connect on their first 4 shot attempts from the field. The Delta Devils would capitalize, cutting the PV advantage to single digits thanks to a pair of Williams midrange jump shots with 16:55 left in the contest. The quartet of Bellinger, Blakely, Thompson, and Hamilton would get on track offensively, as they combined to score 23 of PV's next 25 points which gave the Panthers a 69-53 advantage with 9:09 remaining. The Panthers led by as many as 17 in the second half, as MVSU was unable to cut the lead to single digits the rest of the way.
The Panthers will look to win two in a row as they return to the hardwood Monday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the William J. Nicks Building with a 7:30 pm tipoff and a live radio broadcast on 91.3 KPVU FM.
#pvamubasketball
