PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Both Prairie View A&M University basketball teams host important basketball games Saturday and Monday in the William J. Nicks Building.
The Lady Panthers (8-13 overall, 6-4 SWAC) and Panthers (9-15, 6-4) are each only two games out of first place with eight games remaining in the regular season. Saturday's doubleheader against Grambling State in tips at 3 p.m. and the men's game around 5:15 p.m. in the Cancer Awareness Game with both games of the doubleheader streamed live on pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork.
Monday's doubleheader is the Whiteout Game against Jackson St. and has a special start time of 5 p.m. with a live video stream on pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork. At the conclusion of the women's game, the PVAMU baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track and field teams will sign schedule posters and meet fans. At 8 p.m., men's basketball will play live on ESPNU against Jackson State.
Saturday's game earmarks a payback for the Lady Panthers after falling earlier in the SWAC season (Jan.13) to Grambling in an 81-79 OT loss at GSU. PVAMU is 4-1 at the Baby Dome and are on a two game win streak after defeating cross town rival Texas Southern on Saturday night 65-48.
In the TSU game, the Lady Panthers had three players to post double-digit figures. Back-to-back College Sports Madness SWAC Player of week
Shala Dobbins has posted her 11
th 20+ game of the season including her 21 points performance against TSU.
La'Neique Nealey tallied a PVAMU career high of 19 points, while freshman
Jhyrah Cobbchipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Grambling State has won their last four games including Alcorn St.68-51 on Monday. Shakyla Hill led her team with 22 points in the win. She is eighth in the conference in scoring averaging 14.3 ppg., third in rebounding (7.0) first in assists (5.5) and also in steals (5.1).
"The key to winning Saturday's match up, will be to rebound the ball and make some key plays all the way down the stretch," said head coach
Ravon Justice. "Like I always say you have to play the full 40 mins of basketball to win."
Saturday's men's game features the two hottest teams in the SWAC as PVAMU has won four in a row, while Grambling has won eight games in a row. GSU won the earlier meeting this season between the teams, 80-71 at Grambling on Jan. 13.
The Panthers are coming off a wire-to-wire 96-82 home victory over archrival Texas Southern.
Gary Blackston scored a game-high 29 points with four rebounds and eight assists. Blackston was named BOXTOROW National Player of the Week and College Madness SWAC Player of the Week.
Zachary Hamilton added 26 points, J.D. Wallace posted his fourth career double-double with a career-high tying 17 points and 13 rebounds, and
Troy Thompson scored 10 with five rebounds and five assists.
Dennis Jones scored seven points and added nine assists.
PVAMU shot over 50% from the field for the fourth straight game (60.0% on 33-of-55 shooting), 45.5% from three-point range (10-of-22), and 87% from the free throw line (20-of-23).
The Panthers have scored at least 86 points in each of the four games during the winning streak, including a pair of 90-point games, including 96 on Saturday night. Prairie View is averaging 90.8 ppg during this four-game winning streak, shooting 56.7% from the field, 48.1 % from three-point range (38-79), and 77.3% from the free throw line (75-97).
After losing the opening three games in SWAC play, Grambling (12-12, 8-3) has reeled off eight in a row, the latest an 81-72 win over Alcorn St. Ivy Smith is sixth in the SWAC in scoring (15.6 ppg), first in assists (5.4 apg), and second in free throw shooting (82.6%). Alex Mpoyo is tied for fifth in rebounds (5.8).
"I believe that both teams (GSU & PV) are playing their best basketball right now," said head PVAMU men's basketball coach. "I am looking forward to this match up."
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