Panthers give Bearkats a run for their

The Prairie View A&M Panthers men basketball team played just their second home game this season losing in a devastating fashion to the Sam Houston State Bearkats.
The game was a 108-103 double overtime thriller that had Prairie View students on the edge of their seats from the starting tip to the final buzzer.
The Panthers maintained their greatest lead of the game in the opening minutes going up 19-10.
Montreal Scott dominated the first half with 16 points, seven boards two assist and two steals to pave the way for the Panthers 41-38 lead at the half.
The Panthers seemed to be in control of the game early but a late 11-2 run by the Bearkats allowed them to end the quarter within three points.
Although the Bearkats led most of the second half, the game was tied 10 times with eight lead changes.
Both teams refused to let up which lead to the game becoming a treat for the spectators in the William J. Nicks Building (Baby Dome).
When the game clock struck one minute and 42 seconds, anxiety began to fill the stands as the Bearkats outscored the Panthers 5-2, going up four points.
Junior guard Tre Hagood determined not to let his Panthers down, drove in the lane strong to get the bucket and one.
After the move by Hagood, sophomore Paul Baxter of the Sam Houston Bearkats converted a clutch layup with seconds left on the clock. Refusing to lose junior guard John Bisco, who had 26 points on the night, drained a clutch three-pointer, tying the game at 81 and giving the Panthers another chance to win.
“Coach told me to keep shooting and that’s what I did. My shot had been a little off all night, but it seem to really come back to me when the time mattered.”
During the first overtime there were four ties and three lead changes.
Dropping 10 dimes Tre Hagood ran the offensive and kept the Panthers close.
During another long and hard-fought quarter the Bearkats hit two free throws with 14 seconds left on the clock.
It was a good thing no one left their seats because Brisco hit another clutch bucket from behind the arc, bringing the crowd to their feet and sending the game into a seconed overtime.
Briscoe said that his shot came at the right time and the play the team called worked perfect.
“They called a play for me to get the ball, and take the shot and I did just that.
Hagood drove down the lane the defense collapsed to the middle, I called for the ball, and when I got it I just shot. Luckily it went in.”
The Panthers knew they had no room for celebration and walked out of the huddle, prepared for the next quarter of basketball.
The Panthers got a steal and a foul and took the lead to begin the quarter, but from there everything went downhill.
The Bearkats went up by as much as six in the quarter, giving them their highest lead of the game.
Head coach Byron Rimm II called a timeout to settle his team down and to call a play to execute to take the lead.
“I told them to get the ball to Brisco, and have him drive down the lane but it did not happen,” said Rimm.
Junior Jabari Peters of the Bearkats had a season high 29 points and nine rebounds.
He also knocked down 15 free throws which were crucial to his team’s victory.
By no means did the Panthers give up, but they just could not capitalize at the end of the game ending in a heartbreaking five-point lose in a game that some may say they should have won.
Rimm added that missing free throws cost his team the game.
“We missed costly free throws throughout the game and when you miss free throws you usually lose the game.”