PRAIRIE VIEW - Senior Devonte Patterson led a balanced scoring effort as Prairie View A&M men's basketball handled Huston-Tillotson 92-77 during its final non-conference game Monday evening at the Baby Dome.

Patterson scored a team-high 21 points -- 17 in the first half -- with six assists and four rebounds. Patterson was one of five Panthers in double figures, with senior Gerard Andrus scoring 12 of his 16 points in the first half.

Senior Darius Williams scored 15 points, senior Antione Lister netted 12 points, and junior Lenell Henry put in 10 points.

A high-scoring affair early on, the Panthers (4-9) kept the upper hand on the Rams through much the first 20 minutes of play but weren't quite able to pull away. After a pair of free throws from Huston-Tillotson's Aloysius James gave the Rams a 26-25 lead with 7:51 left before the break, the Panthers put together an 11-3 run to surge ahead by as many as eight.

The Rams used the three-ball to stay close to the Panthers, and James managed a fast-break lay-up in the closing seconds to cut Prairie View A&M's lead to 50-47 going into the lockers.

The Panthers stormed out of the gates in the second half, as senior Chancellor Ellis and Williams book-ended a 14-2 run with three-pointers to build the lead to 64-49.

Though the Rams cut the deficit down to eight, Lister reeled off seven straight points to spark an 11-4 run that put the Panthers back up by double-digits. Prairie View A&M cruised from there, leading by as many as 19 down the stretch.

The Panthers shot a blistering 58 percent from the field, bullying the Rams on the interior with 60 points in the paint. The Panther reserves accounted for 42 points and in all, Prairie View A&M forced 24 Rams turnovers.

James led Huston-Tillotson with 26 points.

Next Up:
The Panthers officially embark on their Southwestern Athletic Conference championship defense as they welcome Alcorn State to the Baby Dome on Jan. 4. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.