Prairie View, Texas- The Prairie View A&M men's basketball team was victorious, topping the Southern Jaguars 70-64 Thursday night at the William J. Nicks Building.
 
Tevin Bellinger led the Panthers in scoring with 23 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Ja'Donta Blakley filled the stat sheet, adding 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals in 38 minutes of action. Zachary Hamilton chipped in 10 points on 2-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
The Purple and Gold got off to a fast start, as Shay'rone Jett accounted for six of the Panthers first 13 points of the contest. With 14:33 left in the first half, Prairie View led 13-12. The Jaguars responded, outscoring PVAMU 12-5 in the next five minutes of action taking a 24-18 lead. The remainder of the first half was extremely competitive as the Panthers battled back to take a one-point advantage on a Bellinger jump shot with 1:46 left in the half.  As the first half concluded, Southern led 40-37 as LaQuentin Collins drained a three pointer with seconds remaining.

The opening minutes of the second half featured both teams going back and forth trading baskets. The Panthers would later go on a 13-4 scoring run keyed by baskets by Blakley, Bellinger, Avery Lomax and Shaquille Preston. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest the Panthers held a double digit 60-50 lead. But the Jaguars came back on a scoring spurt of their own, outscoring PVAMU 10-2 in the subsequent four minutes of action to make it a one possession lead. As the Jaguars looked to complete the comeback, Bellinger drained a three pointer, converted a layup, and nailed a trio of free throws to ensure that the Purple and Gold left the William J. Nicks Building victorious.

The Panthers will return to the hardwood on Saturday March 4^th against Alcorn State University. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.with a live radio broadcast on 91.3 KPVU FM. The night is also slated as senior night and fan appreciation night.