BOX SCORE STILLWATER, Okla. - The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team fell 70-50 to Oklahoma State Thursday night at the IBA Gallagher Arena.
 
 Head Coach Sandy Pugh said early foul trouble contributed to the slow start of the game.
 
"I think we played back on our heels initially," Pugh said. "We did a great job defensively, but we struggled from the field and we got in early foul trouble. [Oklahoma] got in the bonus and they were able to get a lot of easy buckets to start the game off."
 
The Lady Panthers started off timid, being held to only five points during the majority of the first quarter.  The team trailed 12-8 as they headed into the second quarter.
 
The team began to pick up speed as they cut their deficit to two, trailing 16-14 with 7:33 remaining in the half. Both teams were tied 16-16 at the 6:27 mark. PVAMU scored a quick bucket in the final seconds of the quarter, but were down 26-19 as they went into halftime.
 
PVAMU came out fast in the third quarter, scoring back to back buckets. A quick shot by senior center Artavia Ford was followed by a three-pointer by senior guard Sierra Shepard to cut the deficit to six at 30-24. A mixture of foul trouble and OSU's quick offense kept PVAMU trailing as they went into the four quarter down 54-35.
 
The Lady Panthers trailed by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, but showed spurts of energy as they tried to get it going on both parts of the floor. They ended up falling to the Cowgirls 70-50.
 
Senior guard Shala Dobbins led the team with eight points, one assist and two steals. Ford had seven points, two assists, two steals and one block. Junior guard Dominique Newman also contributed seven points, one assist and one steal.
 
Pugh said she was happy with the team's defensive effort, but there are mistakes that still need to be corrected.
 
"We have to do a better job of getting into position and not fouling," she said. "And we have to make shots. All in all this was one of those games you take and you learn from, and you continue to get better. [I'm] definitely not disappointed, but definitely optimistic about where we are and what our capabilities are."
 
The Lady Panthers will return home on Monday, Nov. 19 as they face Arlington Baptist College in the Rec Center at 5 p.m. for Wreck the Rec night.  The team will have a canned food drive and ask the fans to bring canned goods.