PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Diana Rosenthal sank 1-of-2 free throws with five seconds remaining in the game to lift Prairie View A&M past visiting Alcorn by a count of 56-55 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball action at the William J. Nicks Building.
Prairie View A&M (8-9, 5-1 SWAC) led 54-49 before a pair of
Cayla Obillo free throws chipped into the lead for Alcorn (5-11, 1-4 SWAC) with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. Obillo would follow that moments later with a driving layup off a steal from
Kiarra Henderson, bringing the Braves to within 54-53.
The Purple and Gold would tie the game at 54-all on a
Nakia Cheatham free throw with 41 seconds showing on the clock.
The two sides traded free throws down the stretch until Rosenthal's game-deciding foul shot.
Despite Alcorn shooting 53.8 percent from the floor in the opening quarter and leading 18-15, it would be the hosts slowing the Braves offense in the second period, forcing the Purple and Gold into just a 25 percent shooting touch from the field over the course of the period.
In fact, Alcorn was limited to 0-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second quarter, and just 3-of-12 overall from the field. That allowed the Panthers to outscore the Braves by a thin 10-6 edge in the quarter and lead the game 25-24 as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms at the half.
The Panthers would connect on 12-of-23 shots from the charity stripe in the game, while the Braves shot just 65 percent from the foul line themselves on 13-of-20 attempts overall.
Prairie View A&M outrebounded the Braves by a 41-35 margin, while the Purple and Gold dominated the points in the paint by a 34-18 advantage. The game came down to second chance points, and an area in which the Panthers earned a 20-10 edge.
Prairie View A&M was led in scoring by Kennedi Heard with 18 points and eight rebounds. Desiree Lewis provided the Panthers with 13 points, nine boards and three assists. And it was Rosenthal finishing the night with 10 points of her own.
Meanwhile, the Alcorn offense was paced by
Destiny Brown with 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks. She was followed in double-figures scoring by Obillo with 11 points, five steals and three assists.
The next game for Alcorn will be against Florida A&M in a SWAC matchup taking place inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. CT.
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