The Panther

Issue date: 3/7/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Evan White The winner's touch: In her second season, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke led the Lady Panthers to the top of the SWAC.

Media Credit: Evan White Not in my house: Forward Mark Moore prepares to block a shot in Saturday's game against Southern.

The Lady Panthers of Prairie View A&M University took on the Southern Jaguars in their last game of the regular season. This would be the deciding factor to see if the Lady Panthers would take home a share of the SWAC championship.

The game began quickly with a slashing lay-up from freshman guard Candice Thomas. The mighty Prairie View offense picked away at the fledgling defense of the Jaguars, with guards such as Shavonne Smith and Candice Thomas leading the way with multiple baskets.

The Southern team was trying to fight against the strong offense but it seemed to be a losing battle. With five minutes left in the first half the Lady Panthers had acquired a lead of 21 points. The Lady Panthers were basically scoring at will till the end of the half, going into halftime with a score of 36-20.

At the start of the second half the Prairie View offense didn't lose any momentum, with a magnificent lay-up from Freshman Gaati Werema. The Jaguar team was unable to match the sheer strength of the Lady Panther offense and fell to the Prairie View basketball team. This became the Lady Panthers first winning season in the team's history.

The Lady Panthers brought home their very first SWAC regular season championship and earned a second seed in the SWAC tournament.

The men's game began with each team trading baskets, which was sparked by a layup from Brian Ezeh. The first half was an all out grudge match with each squad battling for offensive dominance with each basket. Senior Clifford Franks kept the Panthers close, frequently scoring against the flimsy Southern defense. Going into halftime the Panthers were down 32-28.

At the start of the second half the Panther offense attempted to pull together an answer for the solid offense of Southern University. The Panther offense tried valiantly to overcome their deficit but came up short to the strong and steady offense of the southern Jaguars, falling short by 66-51.

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