PINE BLUFF, Ark. –The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team wins third straight Southwestern Athletic Conference contest after building a double-digit first half lead, surviving a roller coaster ride in the second half edging the Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions in a 62-60 victory Monday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
UAPB  jumped out to a four-point lead with both teams scoring back-to-back points, using three ties.  A layup by Desiree Lewis and a three-point shot by Kennedy Paul that broke the last tie giving PV a five-point (15-10) lead with 1:34 left on the clock for the first quarter. A final score by Arkansas Pine Bluff cut the Panthers lead to four before beginning the second frame.
 
A 10-3 Panthers run midway in the second quarter pushed PVAM to a double-digit lead with 5:57 to play in the half.  Their lead expanded to 14 at the 1:33 mark.  Prairie View A&M was able to hold a 12-point lead at halftime, 33-21.
 
Arkansas Pine Bluff cut their lead to four (40-36) with 3:45 left in the third.  PV used back-to-back layups to return to an eight-point lead, then maintained a margin around that mark over the next three minutes of play.  Eventually the Panthers climbed back to double figures, with a jumper by Lewis and a three-pointer by Tamiracle Taylor to make it 54-42 with 6:25 left to play.
 
With :43 seconds left in the game UAPB whittled the score to two, 59-57.  Two free throws by Taylor and a block by Mikayla Hutchinson gave the Panthers the edge that was needed to hold on to the final score.
 
PV got double-figure scoring by Taylor, Diana Rosenthal and Gerlyn Smith posting its third SWAC consecutive victory.  Taylor led all scorers with 20 points and topped PV with three rebounds, one assist and two steals, both Rosenthal and Smith added 10 points apiece.
 
Prairie View A&M will return home to host both Jackson State and Alcorn State.  The JSU game is set to start at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 and the ASU game will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16.
 
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