Final Boxscore

MONTGOMERY, Ala. –Darnell Hugee hit a shot over three Alabama State defenders in the final second to propel Prairie View A&M to a 56-55 victory over Alabama State University Monday night at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

Hugee, who finished with a game-high 19 points, scored 15 points in the second half as the Panthers (11-9, 6-3 SWAC) overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to snap the Hornets (9-11, 6-3 SWAC) five-game win streak.

“We struggled to play with consistency tonight,” said ASU head coach Lewis Jackson. “We played well in spurts but overall they just were able to outplay us. It was a tough way to lose but I have to give their guy credit for making a really tough shot. He made a play for his team when they needed it.”

Menji Mundadi and Tramaine Butler each scored 15 points to lead Alabama State. Byron Walker chipped in eight points and Tramayne Moorer added seven points and eight rebounds in the loss.

In addition to Hugee, Duwan Kornegay (15) and Michael Griffin (10) both reached double figures for Prairie View.

The Hornets jumped out to a quick lead as Walker scored back-to-back baskets followed by a Mundadi jumper giving ASU a 6-2 advantage. Bama State then found its groove from long distance connecting five three-pointers over the next several minutes of play to build a 24-14 lead with 9:59 left in the first half.

From that point, ASU leaned on its defense to clamp down on a struggling Panther offense. Prairie View went nearly 12 minutes without making a field goal allowing the Hornets to extend their lead to 32-17 with 2:22 remaining in the half. Kornegay eventually ended the PVAM drought hitting a three-pointer with 41 seconds in the period to send his team into the half down by 12 at 32-20.

Alabama State maintained a comfortable double-digit lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half. However, Prairie View would rally behind a 9-0 run to close the gap to two points, 46-44, with 9:31 left in the game. After an A.J. Spencer bucket extended ASU's advantage, Hugee completed a three-point play pulling the Panthers to within one.

Prairie View forced a turnover by Bama State on its next possession and then capitalized on a pair of free throws by Griffin to earn its first lead since the opening minute of the contest.

The lead see-sawed as the two teams traded long-distance treys with Butler drilling one for State and Griffin answering with one from NBA range for the Panthers. Hugee converted a pair of shots from the charity stripe giving Prairie View its largest lead of the game, 54-51, at the 4:00 mark.

Walker made a driving layup at 2:52 ending a near four-minute scoreless stretch for the Hornets and cutting their deficit to a single point. Butler then scored on a slicing jumper on the baseline putting ASU back in front, 55-54, with just 29 seconds remaining.

The Panthers first attempt for the win came up short but the rebound caromed out of bounds giving them a second chance with five seconds left. Prairie View made the most of the opportunity as Hugee's baseline jumper just before the buzzer found the bottom of the net to secure the victory.

Alabama State now begins the second-half of the SWAC season with a three-game road swing starting this weekend with games at Mississippi Valley State (Feb. 6) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Feb. 8).