HOUSTON - Prairie View A&M
outlasted ULM 49-44 to take the championship of the Hackerman Invitational on
Saturday evening inside Tudor Fieldhouse.
Prairie View (4-3) used an 11-2 run late
in the second half to break a 36-36 tie in a game that was a defensive struggle
throughout. Siarra Soliz had the big shot with a 3-pointer from the corner to
give Prairie View a 44-38 lead with 1:30 remaining.
Junior guard Elizabeth Torres led the
Warhawks (5-4) with 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists. The native of Keller,
Texas, earned all-tournament honors for her efforts in the two-day event.
Junior guard Kassie Courtney
registered nine points, while senior guard Priscilla Mbiandja and junior center
Larrie Williams each chipped in eight points.
Dominique Smith paced Prairie View
with 17 points and four steals to earn tournament MVP. Robin Jones was the only
other Prairie View player in double figures with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Warhawks pulled out to their
biggest lead of the second half at 32-28 on back-to-back baskets from Torres
midway through the second half. Torres gave ULM the lead at 30-28 with a
3-pointer, then scored on a layup to cap the run.
Prairie View answered with eight
consecutive points to build a 36-32 lead.
The first half was a defensive
struggle as both teams went on long scoreless droughts. ULM and Prairie View
each shot an identical 26.1 percent in the half.
After scoring the first six points
of the game, the Warhawks went scoreless for just over 10 minutes. Prairie View
took advantage with a 14-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Courtney Larsen with
8:04 remaining in the half.
Mbiandja hit a pair of free throws
to end the scoring drought and ignite a 13-0 run for the Warhawks. ULM led
19-16 at the break.
The Warhawks have a week off before hosting Arkansas-Monticello
Dec.11 at 4 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
