THE HILL| Increased second half intensity gave the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (12-7, 5-2 SWAC) the surge they needed to sail past the Prairie View A&M Panthers (5-12, 2-6 SWAC) 68-59 on Monday night.
Three Bulldogs found themselves in double figures, paced by Alisha Wilson's 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Lauryn Pendleton added 16 points and two steals, while Kalia Walker tallied 11 points of her own. Walker and Jaiyah Harris-Smith both recorded three steals a piece, and Darian Burgin led the team with four steals.
Prairie View A&M was paced by Adreonna Waddle's 13 points and seven rebounds, as the lone Panther to finish in double figures. Nyam Thornton recorded six assists, while Nia Jordan added four. AAMU has now won four of the last five meetings with the Panthers, including three in the AAMU Event Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wilson opened scoring in the contest with a turnaround jumper
PVAMU took a 12-7 lead to force an AAMU timeout with three and a half minutes remaining in the opening frame
Play resumed with a jumper from Wilson to reduce the PVAMU lead to three, but a pair of Panther layups ballooned their to seven
A pair of jumpers from Tia Harvey and a layip from Wilson kept the Bulldogs in competition, as AAMU ended the first quarter down by one (16-15)
Mailyn Wilkerson sunk a shot from way beyond the arc to put AAMU ahead 22-18 with just over seven minutes of playing time left
PVAMU took a slim one-point lead once again after a shot-clock beating three pointer out of the media timeout but the Panthers ahead 25-24 (4:11)
Pendleton scored another pair of layups and Walker tallied a triple to put the Bulldogs in the lead 31-28 as the contest approached the break
The Panthers were first to add to their total in the second half, courtesy of a layup from Adreanna Waddle
Wilkerson scored her second triple of the night to give the Bulldogs a four-point advantage (38-34)
A three-point play from Pendleton gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game up to that point, at 46-36
A pair of Panther free throws reduced the Bulldog lead to five with 20 seconds left in the frame
A free throw from LaCambria Shakespeare ended the third quarter, 49-43
Wilson opened the final frame with a three-point play, courtesy of an assist from Pendleton
PVAMU responded quickly as Kaci Chairs shot an uncontested triple (52-48)
AAMU scored eight unanswered points to force a Panther timeout with 2 and a half minutes remaining
A floating jumper from Pendleton extended the Bulldog margin to twelve (62-50)
Jaiyah Harris-Smith scored four free throws and PVAMU answered with three points of their own, but it would not be enough, as the Bulldogs claimed the contest 68-59
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 41.5 percent (22-53) from the field and 27.3 percent (3-11) from beyond the arc
- AAMU went 21-30 (70 percent) from the free throw line
- The Bulldogs snagged 35 rebounds, 25 of them from the defensive side of the ball
- Alisha Wilson totaled 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
- Lauryn Pendleton added 16 points and two steals, while Kalia Walker tallied 11 points of her own.
- Walker and Jaiyah Harris-Smith both recorded three steals a piece
- Darian Burgin led the team with four steals.
- AAMU finished with 38 points in the paint, 9 bench points, and 25 points from 18 Panther turnovers
- Prairie View A&M finished with 28 points in the paint, 32 bench points, and 11 points from 13 Bulldog turnovers
- The Panthers shot 34.5 percent (20-58) from the field, 93.3 percent (14-15) from the line and 27.3 (3-11) beyond the arc
- Adreonna Waddle's led the Panthers with 13 points and seven rebounds, and was the only Panther to finish in double figures.
- Nyam Thornton recorded six assists, while Nia Jordan added four.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will travel to the Sunshine State to take on Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M on January 30th and February 1st. Tip-off for Thursdays game is scheduled for 6 p.m., while Saturdays contest will start at 3 p.m. (CT).
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), Twitter (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).
