GRAMBLING, La. – The Prairie View A&M men's basketball team lost 80-71 Saturday night at the Hobdy Assembly Center.
Gary Blackston led four Panthers in double figures with 12 points, while
Zachary Hamilton and
Austin Starr each scored 11. J.D. Wallace recorded his second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for Prairie View A&M (5-13 overall, 2-2 SWAC).
"Very disappointed in the outcome," said PVAMU head coach
Byron Smith. "It was a tough game in a tough place to play. We had a really, really good week of practice in terms of our preparation. Some of things we stressed in practice didn't transfer over into the game tonight. It's disappointing, but at the same time you have to be proud of the effort. The guys kept fighting and fighting and fighting."
After a slow shooting start by both teams, Grambling (6-12, 2-3) starting to find the scoring touch midway through the first half in extending to a 16-point lead, the last time at 34-18 with 4:33 to play until halftime. However, the Panthers closed with a 13-4 run to end the half, as a
Troy Thompson jumper just before the buzzer cut the halftime deficit to 38-31.
A jumper by Blackston to begin the second half cut the PVAMU deficit to 38-31. However, a 12-4 run pushed Grambling's lead to 15. The Panthers cut it trailing margin to eight but could get no closer.
Prairie View A&M returns to action Monday night in a doubleheader with the Lady Panther women at Jackson State. The pregame show begins at 5:15 p.m., with the women's tip at 5:30 p.m. and the men's game around 7:45 p.m.
