Saturday, March 10, 2012

“Momma” lifts Prairie View to the SWAC Tournament Finals

LATIA "MOMMA" WILLIAMS
5'-10" REDSHIRT JUNIOR FORWARD
HOMETOWN: RIVERDALE, GEORGIA
NORTH CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL
GARLAND, Texas - As the only fourth-year player for Prairie View A&M, Latia Williams likes for her teammates to call her “Momma.” In Friday’s 58-55 semifinal upset of No. 1 seed Mississippi Valley State, Momma made it all better.

Williams rebounded a teammate’s missed free throw with 29 seconds left and scored to give Prairie View a one-point lead. She then hit two free throws with 10 seconds left for a three-point cushion.

On the final possession, MVSU got 3-point shots from Alia Frank and Lenise Stallings, but both failed to find the bottom of the net.

“My heart is still beating fast,” said Williams, who had 23 points and eight rebounds.

Larissa Scott added 13 points and eight rebounds for Prairie View, the defending tournament champion. Prairie View meets Alcorn State in the final at 5 p.m. Saturday.

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Williams Carries Prairie View A&M Back To SWAC Tournament Finals

GARLAND, Texas - She couldn't contain herself. As soon as the final buzzer sounded and the ball took its last bounce, rolling to a stop, Prairie View A&M junior forward Latia Williams collapsed on the hardwood and started pounding her fists in a moment of pure exitement.

Williams didn't want her season to end without getting a chance to repeat as a SWAC Tournament Champion. So she took the game into her own hands in the closing moments of the Lady Panthers' 58-55 win over top-seeded Mississippi Valley State, which propelled them to the SWAC Tournament Championship game on Saturday.

She scored 10 of her team's final 14 points and finished with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds.

"I'm the oldest player on the team," Williams said. "So I call myself 'Momma'. I told them to 'get on my back and Momma is going to bring us home.'"

Prairie View A&M trailed 55-52 with 1:28 left in the game following a layup by the Devilettes' Alia Frank. Williams scored on a driving layup with 1:07 left to cut her team's deficit to 55-54. She then came away with a momentous block with 35 seconds remaining. Her teammate, Michaela Burton, came down with the rebound to give her team a shot at taking the lead.

 
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