ITTA BENA, Miss - Junior Gerard Andrus led the Prairie View A&M men's undefeated basketball team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference to a 89-78 victory over Mississippi Valley State for their seventh straight win on Saturday at the Harrison HPER Complex.
 
Andrus led the team with 15 points and three rebounds. Gary Blackston followed behind with his third double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Devonte Patterson contributed with 13 points.
 
PVAMU took an early 2-0 lead in the opening minute of the first half, then led again at 4-2 on a made jump shot from senior forward Iwin Ellis at the 17:56 mark. After trailing for close to a minute, junior guard Darius Williams hit a three-point shot that put the team up 12-11 with 15:08 left to go in the first half.
 
The Panthers took their biggest lead of half at 18-12 after back to back three-point shots from graduate guard Taishaun Johnson and redshirt junior guard Chancellor Ellis at the 13:19 mark. PV went on a 5-0 run in the closing minutes of the first period led by Andrus, but it was a made three-point shot from Blackston that tied the score 40-40 going into halftime.
 
The teams tied a total of 11 times throughout the first half, the latest coming at 40-40. Blackston and Johnson both had nine points apiece going into halftime.
 
I. Ellis awarded the Panthers their first points of the second half, after making an easy shot in the opening seconds to put the team up 42-40. After the teams tied once again, Andrus gave the team their second lead of half at 45-44 on a made three-point shot at the 16:43 mark.
 
The Panthers trailed by three before C. Ellis tied the game 48-48 on a made three-point shot. Blackston followed with a made jumper of his own to tie the game again at 50-50 with 15:07 left to go in the period.
 
PVAMU went on a 10-0 run led by Patterson that left them with a 60-51 lead. The team led by as many as 13 points and managed to keep a sizable lead in the closing minutes of the half. Two made free throw shots from Blackston in the closing seconds of the game sealed the team's 89-78 victory.
 
The Panthers will complete their two-game road trip in Pine Bluff, Arkansas as they face the University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.