Nov. 20, 2009

GRAMBLING STATE RACES BY PAUL QUINN

GRAMBLING, La. (AP) - Ariece Perkins had 17 points and seven steals to lead Grambling State to a 75-61 victory over Paul Quinn College on Thursday night.

The first half was tied three times before Grambling (1-1) pulled ahead 24-23 on a Donald Qualls free throw with 4:03 left. Grambling then outscored Paul Quinn 9-1 the rest of the half.

Paul Quinn (2-4) was hampered by 27 turnovers, 15 in the first half.

The NAIA school pulled within 52-47 with 10:55 left, but Grambling countered with an 8-0 run. When Paul Quinn threatened again, trailing by seven with 4:41 left, Lance Fuertado hit two straight jumpers for Grambling and finished with 15 points.

Perkis, who had 11 first-half points, scored the final three points of the game on a dunk and a free throw.

Jason Kavros scored 15 points to lead Paul Quinn. Nigel Grisham had nine rebounds as Paul Quinn outrebounded Grambling 40-34.

BIG SECOND HALF LIFTS PRAIRIE VIEW PAST FLORIDA GULF COAST

Sophomore guard Michael Griffin scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half as the Prairie View A&M (2-1) men$B!G(Js basketball team broke open a close game to defeat Florida Gulf Coast (0-2) 69-54 at the William Nicks Building.

Neither team shot well in the first half but Prairie View A&M overcame FGCU$B!G(Js match-up zone and managed to pull ahead at the close of the half following a 9-2 run to claim a 21-19 halftime advantage.

Fueled by back-to-back three-point baskets from Griffin, the Panthers opened the second half with a 12-3 run and took control of the game as they led 33-22 with 16:41 remaining. The Panthers led by as much as 15 points on two occasions from that point en route to their first non-conference win over an NCAA Division I team since 2007.

Griffin led Prairie View with 14 points and four assists while Darnell Hugee and Grady Green chipped in 10 points apiece.

Prairie View returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 24 with a match-up at Oklahoma State.

Miss. Valley State men down Champion Baptist 102-56

ITTA BENA, Mississippi - The Miss. Valley State Delta Devils used a balanced scoring attack to gain their first win of the season - a 102-56 win over the visiting Tigers of Champion Baptist College.

The first half saw MVSU score 60 points on the strength of 18 forced turnovers and 59.5 percent shooting from the floor. In the opening 20 minutes of action, Julius Cheeks led all scorers with 11 points while Tashan Newsome added nine. Both Shannon Behling and Jason Holmes each had eight in the opening period.

The second half saw both teams pick up their aggressiveness on both ends of the court. Michael Mayo scored nine of this points off the bench going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. D'Angelo Jackson tallied seven points and two assists in 14 minutes of second-half action.

For the game, the Delta Devils handout out 29 assists while forcing 25 turnovers. MVSU dominated in the paint - outscoring the Tigers 66-16 in the paint and getting 33 points off turnovers.

For Champion Baptist, James Manthe came alive in the second half, finishing the game with 23 points, five rebounds and two assists. Jesse Byrd added nine while both Tommy McGonagle and B.J. Linkins each tallied eight. Linkins also pulled down 11 rebounds.

For MVSU, Cheeks and Jackson each had 13 points to lead six players in double figures. Newsome and Cor-J Cox each scored 11 points while Jason Holmes and Shannon Behling finished with ten points. Behling had nine rebounds while Holmes added seven rebounds and four blocks.

The Delta Devils (1-2) will take to the road to participate in the 2009 Chicago Invitational. Action begins November 22 at Iowa State and November 24 at Saint Louis. The team then goes to the UIC Pavilion in Chicago to face Liberty and either Kennesaw State or Tennessee State.