ITTA BENA, Miss. – In another stellar performance by Shala Dobbins the Prairie View A&M women's basketball team edged by Mississippi Valley State 75-74 in SWAC action on Monday evening at the Harrison HPER Complex.
 
Shala Dobbins led PVAMU in scoring with 22 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor and one steal. Dominique Newman tallied 15 points, two assists and one steal in 36 minutes of action, while Chelsea Tieuel added 11 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.
 
The Lady Panthers did not have a strong opening quarter, unable to find the bottom of the net for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the quarter. The Devilettes took advantage, leading by as many as 10 during the period.  At the conclusion of the first quarter, Prairie View A&M trailed 17-7.
 
PVAMU closed the gap in the opening minutes of the second quarter, as Newman cut the lead to eight (23-15) in favor of Mississippi Valley with 7:03 to go in the half. MVSU responded, outscoring PVAMU 7-2 in the subsequent three minutes of game action. The Devilettes remained in control as the first half came to a close leading by as many as 14 points in the second quarter. An Alexis Robinson jumper cut the MVSU lead to 10 with 21 seconds to go before halftime with MVSU leading 39-29.
 
The Lady Panthers had a strong start in the third frame, outscoring MVSU 9-3 in the opening 1:48 of the third quarter. The run was keyed by baskets from Newman and Tieuel. The Purple and Gold were able to stay within striking distance throughout the third quarter with it eventually paying off.  Dobbins nailed a pair of free throws and back to back three pointers from Talisha Presley gave PVAMU a 52-50 advantage.
 
The two point lead was Prairie View's first, since the 8:36 mark in the first quarter. Buckets from Jhyrah Cobb and Tieuel helped PVAMU go into the final quarter of the contest with the lead. At the end of the third quarter Prairie View led 55-52.
 
The squads traded baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Newman drilled a three pointer to give the Lady Panthers a two possession lead with 7:44 to go in regulation. The Devilettes later tied the contest at 60 with 6:27 remaining. MVSU took a one point lead minutes later, but PVAMU responded as Cobb converted a layup attempt on the subsequent possession to return the advantage to the Lady Panthers as 4:20 was left on the game clock. The contest was eventually knotted up at 67 with a little more than a minute to go.
 
MVSU led 72-69 as 26 seconds remained in regulation, however Dobbins drained two free throws to cut the lead to one. Valley scored on their next possession making the lead 74-71. But Dobbins refused to be denied bringing the Lady Panthers back within one with a quick layup with only 14 seconds to go. 
 
After MVSU missed a pair of free throws, Dobbins was fouled and returned to the charity stripe and sank a duo of free throws to give Prairie View A&M the lead at 75-74 with just 10 seconds left in the contest. The Devilettes missed a game winning shot attempt as time expired and PVAMU escaped with the narrow victory.
 
The Lady Panthers return to action on Saturday, February 24^th at the William J. Nicks Arena to take on Alabama State with tip off set for 3 p.m.
 
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