PRAIRIE VIEW, TX --In a their first SWAC Conference basketball game held on January 2, 2025, the Prairie View A&M Panthers fell to the Southern University Jaguars with a final score of 60-48 at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, TX. The game showcased a challenging competition for the Panthers, who trailed at halftime 31-23.
Crystal Schultz led the Panthers (3-7, 0-1) with 19 points and three steals. CJ Wilson added 11 points and two steals from the bench and Ash'a Thompson chipped in as well with eight points.
Ja'nya Polk pulled down two offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Prairie View A&M, grabbing 11 boards and turning them into six second-chance points.
Prairie View A&M forced 23 Southern turnovers while committing 22 themselves in Thursday's game. The Panthers turned those takeaways into 13 points on the offensive end of the floor. Schultz's three steals led the way for Prairie View A&M.
How It Happened
Prairie View A&M struggled out of the gate, falling behind 15-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Panthers and Jaguars then played an even second quarter making the halftime score 31-23 in favor of Southern.
Prairie View A&M's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Panthers faced a 47-32 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Prairie View A&M took advantage of five Southern turnovers in the quarter, scoring four points off of takeaways.
Prairie View A&M kept the Jaguars from increasing their lead before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Schultz's three, to shrink the deficit to 53-43 with 2:19 to go in the contest. Southern responded and outscored the Panthers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 60-48. Prairie View A&M took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Schultz, Wilson, and Thompson combined to account for 79 percent of the Panthers points.
» The Prairie View A&M bench came alive by adding 30 points to its scoring output.
» Schultz and Wilson came off the bench to score 19 and 11 points, respectively.
» The Prairie View A&M defense forced 23 turnovers.
» The Panthers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
» Prairie View A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Crystal Schultz led the Panthers with a game-high 19 points.
» Prairie View A&M got four rebounds from both Polk and Laila Robinson.
The key moments showed the Panthers trying to bridge the gap, but ultimately, the Jaguars maintained their lead and sealed the victory. Looking ahead, Prairie View A&M aims to rebound in their next game against Grambling State University on January 4, 2025.
