PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas - In what would be a hard fought midweek clash, Lamar University's women's basketball team found a way to pull out a thrilling 66-63 overtime win against Prairie View A&M. LU has won their last two games after their opening game loss to be at 2-1.
Sabria Dean once again put up 25 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead LU.
Emma Imevbore came off the bench to score 15 points including the winning basket and also secured 15 rebounds for a double-double.
Malay McQueen made the most of her first start of the season by also getting a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. In total, LU outshot the Panthers 42.3%-29.1% from the field.
"It was a tough road win," said head coach
Aqua Franklin. "We had some players step up in a huge way. Super proud of Emma (Imevbore), we needed every bit of her 15 and 15. On an off night, we found a way to play tough and together and that's what you have to do to win on the road. Give PV credit they were well coach and executed their game plan and battle us to the end."
The Cardinals would start the game on the wrong foot as they fell behind 18-9 through the first quarter despite finishing with a higher shooting percentage (40.0%-37.5%). LU did take the early 2-1 lead, but would concede a 10-3 Panther run to trail 11-5. Despite cutting the deficit to 11-9, the Cardinals were unable to score in the final minutes as PVU took a nine-point lead after one.
The lead grew to 24-11 for the Panthers with 5:13 to play in the second quarter. But Imevbore would step up scoring six points to bring the contest to 24-17. Dean would then knock down a three-pointer while
Portia Adams tallied a buzzer-beater to put LU within striking distance (24-22) at halftime. A big factor was LU's defense as they held PVU to just two made field goals and six points all quarter long.
A three by McQueen to open the third quarter gave LU a 25-24 lead. But over the next five minutes, the Panthers would torch Big Red for 14 of the next 19 points to lead 38-30. While free throws from Imevbore and
Taliah Hill contributed to the next Cardinal run, Dean found a way to connect on two three-point plays as LU grabbed a one-point lead at 41-40 going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter would follow a script as LU would extend their lead only for PVU to come back and tie the game twice. McQueen sank a pair of free throws while Imevbore and Dean combined for eight points, which gave LU a 51-45 lead with 6:27 to go. But after the Panthers brought the score to 51-49 with 4:42, neither team would score for three minutes. That was until PVU knotted the game with 1:35 left to go. Dean put the Cardinals back in front with 1:08 left before the Panthers answered with a basket with under 10 seconds to go. A last ditch effort to win in regulation by LU would not go through and overtime was required.
Dean's early three pointer and a pair of Adams' free throws gave the Cardinals a 58-53 lead. LU maintained their two-possession lead until the score was 62-58 with 1:31 left in overtime. In a matter of six seconds, the Panthers tallied five straight points to lead 63-62. LU called a timeout and drew up a play that saw McQueen drive to the basket only to feed the ball to a wide open Imevbore for a go-ahead lay-up. A pair of
NJ Weems free throws extended the lead to 66-63 with 11 seconds left. PVU had two chances to tie, but were denied both times and the Cardinals escaped with the win.
LU's next road trip will be next Friday when they will partake in the Southern Mississippi Thanksgiving Tournament. They will open with Mississippi Valley State at 5:00 p.m.
