- Lady Panthers Double up on offensive end to keep ball alive Photo: AOdums
Prairie View A&M junior guard Kiara Etienne and her 26 points made sure the Lady Panthers kept their seven-year win streak over TSU intact with a 53-45 win in the William Nicks building Saturday night.
Prairie View A&M won their 15th-consecutive game over Texas Southern. Etienne came through big and iced the game for the Lady Panthers in the final five minutes of the game as the Lady Panthers turned a one-point lead into a double-digit margin and the eventual win in front of a sold out crowd of 5,400.
A three by Etienne with about four minutes left extended Prairie View A&M’s lead to 43-39. She then hit another pivotal jumper with 1:45 left in the game, drew the foul too and made the free throw, giving her team a 49-39 lead. Etienne put the icing on the cake with a steal and flashy fast-break layup with 58 seconds remaining to give Prairie View a 51-39 lead.
Texas Southern started the second half off on a 5-2 run that was capped off with a layup by Kayla West to tie the game at 30 with 16:13 left in the game and kept it close until the final minutes.
Prairie View A&M took a 28-25 lead into the half thanks to a sharp shooting halftime performance by Etienne. She had 16 points in the first 20 minutes to lead all scorers. Etienne went 6-for-9 from the field in the first half, which included a 4-for-6 showing from downtown.
Latia Williams turned out another well-balanced first half, putting up five points, four rebounds and three assists. She finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Defensively, the Lady Panthers had trouble with the inside attack of TSU, who shot just over 50 percent from inside the arc. TSU’s post player Ginnesica Lawler had seven points at the half to lead her team in scoring through the first 20 minutes. West led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 14 points.
The Lady Panthers play host to Jackson State at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. Next Saturday’s game will be designated as high school day as a special discounted $5 ticket will be available for area high school students.