Wakil Atig
Sports Writer
On Saturday, Feb. 16, the Tigers of Jackson State University hosted the Panthers of Prairie View A&M University in a conference matchup. The Tigers are coming off a tough loss to Southern University and looked to redeem themselves.
At the start of the first half, JSU got off to a terrific start. Everything from ball movement, rebounding,
and controlling the tempo of the game.
Freshman forward, Jayveous Mckinnis’ first half rim rattling slam dunk got the crowd hyped as it seemed JSU was taking control of the game.
As the first half continued, Prairie View began to pick up their pace on both sides of the court. On defense, the Panthers began applying full-court pressure to JSU causing them to turn the ball over and barely get past half-court.
This defensive approach made it difficult for JSU to get in any rhythm offensively.
On offense, Prairie View just simply rained three-pointers all over JSU. Making a total of eleven for the game. Their three-point shooting and relentless defensive approach, allowed them to lead by as many as 21 points in the first half.
Despite struggling in the first half, JSU made some offensive runs to show they still were alive in the game. Freshman guard Lemmie Howard, who led all scorers for JSU with 17 points, kept JSU afloat with his offensive rebounding and put backs.
In the second half, Prairie View continued to dominate the game on both ends. Their full-court press and traps on defense made life hard for JSU.
JSU didn’t give up as they made a late 10-0 run to cut the game to eleven. They flipped the script on Prairie View and began pressing them full-court, forcing them to turn the ball over.
Despite their assertiveness late in the second half, JSU never fully took control of the game.
Junior guard Venjie Wallis finished the game with a solid 16 points. Senior guard, Chris Howell finished with 12 points and grabbed 11 boards; and freshman forward Jayveous McKinnis finished with 10 points.
In the end, JSU just could not figure out Prairie View’s puzzle on either side of the court. Prairie View defeated Jackson State, 79-66 in Southwestern Athletic Conference action.
The Lady Tigers of Jackson State also battled Saturday night against Prairie View A&M University. This was an intense matchup and proved the competitiveness of the SWAC conference.
The first half was an all-out battle. Both teams traded baskets and traded leads. It was never apparently clear who had the momentum in the first half as both teams wouldn’t let up.
As the second half ended, Prairie View simply dominated the paint. Their offensive attack to the basket was a problem for the Lady Tigers initially, but it wouldn’t last as JSU quickly responded making jump shots.
The first half was a true battle and the score was 40-40
In the second half, the Lady Tigers annihilated Prairie View on both sides of the ball. Within the first two minutes of the third quarter, the Lady Tigers went on a 6-0 run and their defense forced three steals.
Prairie View started the second half off very sloppy as they turned the ball over four times and went 0-4 on shooting before their first basket. Despite a slow start in the third quarter, Prairie View somehow managed to keep the game close heading into the fourth quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, Prairie View came out with a completely different attitude. Their defensive intensity and offensive assertiveness shocked the Lady Tigers as they had no answer.
The Lady Panthers of Prairie View played a totally different game in the fourth quarter.
JSU seemed to have lost their rhythm offensively in the fourth quarter despite a great start in the third.
Junior Marneisha Hamer had an outstanding game finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Senior, Christina Ellis went 9-14 from the floor scoring 23 points; and junior, Sumer Williams added 13 points with 6 rebounds for the Lady Tigers.
Despite a close game, the Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Tigers 89-80 in Saturday night’s conference play.
Taronta Gines, a junior biology major said, “The Tigers have really improved this season since my first semester. Jackson State games are so live. It’s like I’m at a family gathering or something.”
Deja Conway, a junior special education major hopes the Tigers continue to improve.
“The boys and the girls did a good job, but I feel the defense should’ve been more aggressive in order for us to win,” said Conway.
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