Prairie View defeats AR-Pine Bluff 73-61
Prairie View Pulls Away in 73-61 Upset Over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
In a matchup that lived up to its conference billing, Prairie View A&T edged out Arkansas-Pine Bluff 73-61 at the William Nicks Building on Wednesday night.
The home team, which trailed by two points at halftime, took control of the game in the second half behind a balanced attack and stifling defense. Cory Wells led the charge with 21 points, including four three-pointers, and chipped in with 10 rebounds and five assists to pace Prairie View's effort.
"I thought our team showed great heart and resilience," said Prairie View coach Ty Howard. "We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we believed in each other and played smart basketball."
The Panthers' balanced attack was fueled by Wells, who also dished out seven assists. Lance Williams added 14 points and five rebounds off the bench for Prairie View.
For Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alex Mirhosseini led the way with 16 points on three-for-eight shooting from beyond the arc. Quion Williams grabbed nine rebounds and scored 15 points for the Golden Lions.
Despite a strong showing from Mirhosseini, who shot 41.7% from the field, Arkansas-Pine Bluff struggled to find its rhythm in the second half. The team committed 13 turnovers, which allowed Prairie View to pull away.
"We just couldn't get our offense going," said Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach Ron Hunter. "We had some good looks, but we just couldn't capitalize on them. You've got to give credit to Prairie View – they made the plays when it mattered most."
The Panthers' victory improved their conference record to [insert record], while Arkansas-Pine Bluff's loss dropped their record to [insert record].
The outcome marked a significant win for Prairie View, which had struggled in previous conference matchups. The victory sets up an interesting rematch next week against another top-ranked team.
Game Stats:
* Prairie View (HOME): 24/55 FG, 18/40 2-PT, 6/15 3-PT, 19/31 FT
* Arkansas-Pine Bluff (AWAY): 20/60 FG, 13/34 2-PT, 7/26 3-PT, 14/23 FT