Lady Tigers defeat Prairie View A&M 52-44

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Lady Tigers of Texas Southern University jumped out to a 15-4 first quarter lead and never looked back Saturday en route to a 52-44 win at in-state rival Prairie View A&M.
 
Niya Mitchell tallied game highs of 16 points and 17 rebounds to lead Texas Southern (5-9) to its first Southwestern Athletic Conference victory in three tries. Mitchell also recorded four steals in the game.
 
Richelle Velez chipped in 12 points for the Lady Tigers, shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Marquia Turner added 10 points for TSU.
 
Shala Dobbins led Prairie View A&M (5-8, 2-1 SWAC) with 12 points.
 
The Lady Tigers held Prairie View A&M to just one field goal throughout the first eight minutes as they built a 14-2 lead over the Lady Panthers.
 
Velez scored TSU first six points of the second quarter with a 3-pointers that helped the visitors stretch their lead to 21-6. A layup by Mitchell with 4:59 remaining in the first half rebuilt TSU’s 15-point advantage; TSU took a 27-17 lead into halftime.
 
The Lady Tigers took their biggest lead of the game early in the fourth quarter when Isis Lane knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to stretch TSU’s advantage to 46-28 with 7:13 left to play in the game.
 
From there, the host Panthers put together a comeback attempt as they outscored TSU 16-6 over the final seven minutes. The effort was not enough, as TSU held on for the win and snapped a three-game losing streak.
 
TSU held the Lady Panthers to 10 percent shooting (1 of 10) in the first quarter and 20 percent shooting (2 of 10) from the floor in the third quarter.
 
The Lady Tigers shot 33 free throws in the game, making 18 of them for a free throw percentage of
54.5 percent. Meanwhile, they kept one of the SWAC’s best free throw-shooting teams – and one of the league’s best player in Dobbins – away from the free throw line. PVAMU was 8-of-10 from the free throw line, with Dobbins going 5-for-6 from the stripe.
 
The visiting Lady Tigers also helped their cause by shooting 46 percent (6 of 13) from the 3-point circle.
 
TSU improved to 5-0 when either leading or tied at halftime. The Lady Tigers also won their first game in six tries in which they shot less than 40 percent from the floor; TSU shot 32.6 percent (14 of 43) from the floor at Prairie View A&M.
 
The Lady Tigers open the home portion of their SWAC schedule next Saturday when they host Grambling State. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.