PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M basketball teams return home this weekend still in the hunt for Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season titles while looking to move closer to hosting first round tournament games.
                                                                                                                                     
Panther Basketball will host Alabama State Saturday in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Senior Day. A trio of women's basketball players and seven men's players will be honored prior to the start of the men's game.  Monday, PVAMU basketball will host Alabama A&M in a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader on Greek Night.
 
All games will be video streamed live on pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork with live stats available at pvpanthers.com.
 
The top four seeds will host SWAC Tournament games on Tuesday, March 6 and both Prairie View A&M teams would host games if the tourney started today.
 
Women's basketball seniors Amber Driver, Talisha Presley, and Alexis Robinson will be honored on Saturday, along with men's basketball seniors Keion Alexander, Zachary Hamilton, Shay'rone Jett, Jordan Lumpkins, Shaquille Preston, Troy Thompson, and J.D. Wallace.
 
The Lady Panthers (11-14 overall, 9-5) have won three straight games and seven of their last nine contests and currently are the fourth seed in women's play trailing Southern (12-3), Texas Southern (10-4), and Grambling St. (10-4).
 
Prairie View is coming off a road sweep at Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State to remain in the Championship Chase.
 
Reigning SWAC Player of the Week Shala Dobbins is tied for 11^th nationally in scoring at 21.6 points per game and is on pace to set NCAA single-season records for free throws made (280) and attempted (353). Dobbins currently has made 233 of 297 free throws (78.5%) this season, including two with 10 seconds remaining in Monday's 75-74 win at Mississippi Valley State.
 
Dominique Newman scored 15 points, Chelsea Tieuel scored 11 with nine rebounds, and Jhyrah Cobb scored seven with 12 rebounds, her third straight game with 10+ boards.
 
It's the second meeting with Alabama State, as the Lady Panthers look to avenge a 70-68 loss on Jan. 27 in Montgomery. The Lady Hornets (8-17, 6-8) defeated Southern (58-56) at home last Saturday, but lost to Alcorn 65-57 Monday night.
 
"Our team and staff are excited coming into these game this weekend," said PVAMU head women's basketball coach Ravon Justice.  "They are looking at this as an opportunity to steal a spot right now.  We are a game behind second and third and two games behind first. We are not looking to be content at where we are. We are looking at surprising people being at the one, two or three before it's all said and done.  We are at the point where everyone's mind is on the same page.  We just need to focus on finishing games"
 
 Men's basketball (11-17, 8-6) will look to bounce back after a 76-71 loss at Mississippi Valley State Monday night. It was only the second loss in the last eight games for the Panthers who are still in the hunt for the SWAC's top seed.
 
Grambling St. (11-3) leads the league by two games but is ineligible for post season play along with Alabama A&M. Southern (10-5) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-5) are both one game ahead of PVAMU, which is tied with Texas Southern (8-6).
 
Gary Blackston scored 22 points, Dennis Jones scored 18 and Zachary Hamilton 17 in Monday's game. The Panthers won at Alabama State 86-80 in Montgomery in late January.
 
The Hornets (7-19 7-7) are 4-1 in February, losing only to Southern last Saturday at home.
 
"If we take care of our business here home in our next two games, which is all we need to be focused on, which I feel like we can, we can put ourselves in good shape," PVAMU head men's basketball coach said. "I think that we can be in better position when we head to Alcorn (on March 1). We would have regained ourselves from the difficult loss to Miss. Valley last Monday."
 
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