MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Junior Darius Williams and Senior Gary Blackston combined with a total team effort, put together a convincing show on ESPNU as the Prairie View A&M men's basketball team clinched the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference Regular Season Title winning over Alabama State with a 96-69 victory on Monday at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
 
Williams led the team with 20 points, while Blackston followed with 19 points and seven rebounds. Jones contributed with 18 points, five assists, two steals and one rebound.
 
The Panthers opened the first half on a 7-0 run led by Blackston. Junior forward Devonte Patterson hit a layup and added a foul shot that pushed PV's lead to 12-5 over ASU. A made three pointer by Williams began an 8-2 run, giving PVAMU a 20-9 lead at the 10:59 mark.
 
Two jumpers from Williams extended the team's lead to 24-11 with 9:24 remaining in the half. After ASU went on a small run, a layup and made foul shot by Dennis Jones pushed the Panthers ahead 29-22. Blackston then repeated the same play at the 5:11 mark, giving PVAMU a 32-23 advantage over Alabama State. A layup from Patterson started off another run that gave PV a 34-29 lead.
 
The Panthers ended the first half with a 40-33 lead after on 6-4 run to close out the period. Blackston led the team with eight points.
 
Three straight made three point shots from Williams and Jones opened the scoring for the Panthers to take a 49-33 lead. A made jumper from junior guard Gerard Andrus started off  another run for the team distancing themselves by at least 20 (57-37). Another three pointer from Williams pushed the score 60-40 with more than 10 minutes left on the game. A personal 6-0 run from Patterson extended the team's lead 66-45.
 
A made free throw, followed by a three pointer by Blackston allowed PV to extend their advantage over ASU 70-45, and five straight free throws made the score 75-53. After a 7-2 run led by Patterson, PVAMU led 82-55 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Back-to-back three pointers from Blackston and Jones then allowed the Panthers to extend their lead 88-60.
 
A layup from sophomore Tristen Wallace then gave the team a 90-61 lead at the 3:27 mark. Back-to-back layups from graduate Taishaun Johnson then pushed the score 94-64, before two made free throws from Williams closed out the 96-69 victory.
 
The Panthers will return home on Thursday, March 4 to play the first of their last two home games, against Southern for March-Di-Gras 7:30 p.m. in the Baby Dome.