Panthers fall to UAB

After starting the game on fire, Prairie View men’s basketball could not continue the momentum throughout the game, as they fell to the University of Alabama-Birmingham 76-70 in Bartlow Arena in Birmingham, LA.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead against Conference USA opponents, scoring their first seven points unanswered. Seven minutes later the Panthers saw theilead grow to 11 points, after a jumper by junior forward Jules Montgomery.
The lead would shrink as UAB drew closer, going on a 10-2 run. The Panthers regained their composure and went into halftime with a five point lead, 38-33.
The second half would be the end of the Panther run. UAB started the second half on a 13-0 run, going ahead 46-38.
After a layup by Panther guard Carl Blair, pulling the Panthers to within four points, UAB would pull away, and Prairie View would not lead in the game again.
The game ended 76-70. After shooting 51.5 percent in the first half from the floor, they shot a meager 31.7 percent in the second half. They still managed to outshoot their opponents as UAB 33.3 percent from the floor for the game.
The key to the Panther demise was the vast amount of free throws that UAB took in comparison to the Panthers. The Panthers went 5-9 from the charity stripe (55.6%) while UAB basically lived at the line especially in the second half going 28-37 (75.7%).
Senior guard Ryan Gesiakowski led the Panthers in scoring with 18 points on 7-12 shooting. Blair would be the only other Panther to reach double digits contributing 15 points.
UAB were led in scoring by senior forward Rod Rucker, who scored 25 points on 8-12 shooting and 9-17 from the free throw line.
The Panthers would not have much time to think about the loss, as they continue the slate of games in the South Padre Invitational.