An 11-2 run at the close of the first half provided just enough cushion for Prairie View A&M to use as they held off TSU 70-59 Thursday night.
TSU opened the game red hot from the field as they hit 4-of-5 shots from the field to jump out to s 9-3 lead. PVAMU's Dontae Horne hit a pair of three-pointer to end the run as they closed to within 11-9 but TSU upped the lead to 15-9, 49 seconds later. The Tigers and Panthers would trade baskets over the next two minutes as TSU led 19-14 at the 10:32 mark but TSU continued to hold the Panthers' offense at bay.
TSU took a 29-27 lead after Duane Posey's dunk with 4:40 left but PVAMU moved ahead 29-28 and the shots stopped falling for the Tigers as PVAMU closed put the half on an 11-2 run as TSU's Zytarious Morlte ended the half with a layup at the buzzer.
The Panthers opened the second half with another 11-2 run as Horne led the way with seven points while TSU missed its first six shots as the deficit grew to 17 at 49-32 with 14:54 left. A 7-0 run by TSU cut the margin to 49-39 two minutes later but PVAMU once again responded with a 10-1 run over the next 2:31 to lead 59-40 with 9:26 left.
TSU would continue to fight as they outscored PVAMU 17-6 over the next seven minutes to get within eight but the Panthers held them off as time ticked down to sweep the season series.
Morlte led TSU with 16 points while Posey had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
TSU finishes the year in a four-way tie for fourth and will await its official opponent in next week's SWAC Tournament. Depending on the tiebreaker, TSU could play as early as Tuesday as the seventh seed or as late as Thursday as the fourth seed.
