Baylor sets NCAA record in blowout basketball win over PVAMU

WACO, TX — Brittney Griner and top-seeded Baylor took Prairie View to a record-breaking NCAA tournament low. Griner and Brooklyn Pope each had 17 points as the Lady Bears opened the NCAA tournament at home with the expected lopsided victory, 66-30 Sunday night when Prairie View's miserable shooting translated into the lowest-scoring half ever in the tournament.

Things couldn't have gone any worse for SWAC champion Prairie View (21-12), which missed its first 12 shots before Waco native Robin Jones finally made a layup more than 9 minutes into the game. Baylor (32-2), which plays West Virginia (24-9) on Tuesday night, already had a 16-0 lead by then.

The Lady Bears, who went to the Final Four last season when the 6-foot-8-inch Griner was a freshman, led 34-8 at halftime.

Top-seeded Baylor women pound Prairie View 66-30

WACO - The Prairie View A&M Panthers knew they faced a tall task - literally and figuratively - in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Not only were the SWAC champions the No. 16 seed taking on a No. 1 seed (Baylor), led by 6-8 Nimitz product Brittney Griner, but they’d have to do so on the Bears’ home floor. What the Panthers didn’t expect was to struggle hitting shots - and that ultimately squashed any hopes of an upset.

The Bears eliminated the Panthers with a dominating 66-30 win before 8,368 on Sunday at the Ferrell Center. Baylor (32-2) will meet West Virginia in the second round of the Dallas Region at 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the Ferrell Center.

Prairie View's 8 first-half points fewest in NCAAs

WACO, Texas - Prairie View has scored the fewest points ever in a half of an NCAA women's tournament game. The SWAC champion Lady Panthers trailed top-seeded Baylor 34-8 at halftime in the first-round game Sunday night. Prairie View was 3-of-27 shooting in the first half and missed its first 12 shots before Waco native Robin Jones scored on a layup for the Lady Panthers to make it 18-2.

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Bracing for Brittney, Prairie View A&M takes the challenge

PVAMU Coach Toyelle Wilson

WACO, TX — Prairie View A&M had some fun at practice this week trying to simulate what it will take to get off a shot against the Big 12 champion Baylor Lady Bears and 6-8 center Brittney Griner. Assistant coach Rob Amboree, who is 6-5, held up a hitting pad to make the Lady Panthers shoot over it.

PVAMU vs. #1 Baylor
Time: 7:30 p.m. E.T.
TV: ESPN2
Internet: ESPN2 - Click Here

“She alters the game,” first-year Prairie View coach Toyelle Wilson said. “You’ve got to prepare for that.”

Ready or not, 16th-seeded Prairie View will take on No. 1 Baylor on Sunday at 6:40 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Going into the unveiling of the bracket earlier this week, Wilson said she was hoping to see her Southwestern Athletic Conference champions matched against a team other than Baylor because of Griner’s potential to make it so difficult to score.

Top-seeded Baylor very good _ and still very young; Griner among 9 Lady Bears’ underclassmen

WACO, Texas — Baylor went to the Final Four last season when Brittney Griner was a freshman. This time, the Lady Bears are a No. 1 seed for the first time with freshman starting point guard Odyssey Sims.  The Big 12 champions are very good — and still very young.

The 6-foot-8 Griner is among seven sophomores for the Lady Bears (31-2), who open the NCAA tournament against SWAC champion Prairie View (21-11) on Sunday night at home, where they are 19-0 this season.

Gifted Griner Wants to Do Even More for Baylor

Brittney Griner has already had an impact on women's basketball like few players before her. The 6-foot-8 Griner can dunk, rebound, block shots and alter games with her imposing presence in the lane. Yet as dominating as she has been in her two seasons for the Baylor Lady Bears, she isn't so sure she has lived up to the billing.

"I don't think I'm as good as what everybody says I am," Griner said. "I think I'm alright."

Baylor has already been to a Final Four with Griner, making it last year when she was a freshman on a team that had lost its top four scorers from the previous season. This year, the Lady Bears were Big 12 regular season and tournament champions and are a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

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PV's Wilson shines in own right

Coach Toyelle Wilson

Prairie View A&M’s Toyelle Wilson probably had the toughest act to follow of any first-year women’s basketball coach in the area at the beginning of the season.

Wilson took the reins in May after former coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke stepped down to take the top job at North Carolina-Wilmington. Cooper-Dyke, a Basketball Hall of Famer, went 86-72 in five seasons at Prairie View, leading the Panthers to four postseason appearances, including their first two NCAA Tournament appearances, and three Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season titles.

Wilson, a former assistant under Cooper-Dyke, had a huge shadow cast over her first season as head coach once athletic director Fred Washington opted to promote her. Some doubted she would be able to duplicate her predecessor’s success.

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16th-seeded Prairie View women to face No. 1 Baylor in tourney

The Prairie View A&M Panthers’ anxiety over learning their destination in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament disappeared mere minutes into Monday evening’s selection show on ESPN.
Their name appeared underneath first-round opponent and No. 1 seed Baylor on the flat screens at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cypress, and the attendants at the Panthers’ selection show watch party roared in jubilation.

The 16th-seeded Panthers (21-11) will start their NCAA Tournament run against the Bears (31-2) in the Dallas Region at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Ferrell Center in Waco. The winner advances to face the victor of Sunday’s earlier matchup between No. 8 seed Houston (26-5) and No. 9 seed West Virginia (23-9).



Baylor No. 1 NCAA seed at home vs. Prairie View

Baylor is a No. 1 seed for the first time and playing at home to start this year's NCAA women's tournament.

The Big 12 champion Lady Bears (31-2) open this year's tournament Sunday against SWAC champion Prairie View (21-11). If they want to make it to the Final Four for the second year in a row, there is the real possibility that they will have to beat Big 12 runner-up Texas A&M for...

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Prairie View dances back in: Panthers beat Southern to earn third NCAA bid

First-Year PVAMU Head Coach Toyelle Wilson
wins first SWAC Championship and NCAA
Division I Tournament bid.

GARLAND, TX – Once the final buzzer of the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship sounded, Prairie View A&M senior guard Dominique Smith rushed to embrace freshman guard Siarra Soliz and offer some words of encouragement.

“I’m leaving it,” Smith said. “It’s in your hands now.”

If Saturday’s championship against Southern is any indication, Smith and the rest of the seniors can rest assured that the program’s future is in good hands. Soliz scored a game-high 21 points, senior forward Robin Jones hit a go-ahead jumper with 33 seconds remaining, and the second-seeded Panthers closed the game on a 12-0 run to beat top-seeded Southern 48-44 on Saturday at the Special Events Center and capture the program’s third NCAA Tournament bid.

The Panthers (21-11) will appear in the Big Dance for the first time since...

Prairie View wins SWAC tourney, snags NCAA bid

GARLAND, Texas -- The first half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship was more than halfway done when Prairie View A&M's cheerleaders came running into the arena. They hustled down a long flight of stairs to reach the floor, then scrambled into position on the baseline.
Just like their team, they showed up late, but made a lot of noise when it mattered most.

Robin Jones made a go-ahead jumper from the foul line with 33.3 seconds left, the pivotal play in a 12-0 closing run that lifted Prairie View to a 48-44 victory and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The Lady Panthers (21-11) started slowly in both halves, trailing 10-2 shortly before the cheerleaders arrived, then letting a five-point halftime lead get away by giving up the first seven points of the second half. They trailed nearly the rest of the game, and were down 44-36 with 5:13 left, matching their biggest deficit.



Prairie View women rally, drop Southern in SWAC championship game

A memorable season for the Southern women’s basketball team has ended. Saturday night in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game, the top-seeded Jaguars lost a late eight-point lead and failed to score over the final 5:13, allowing Prairie View to pull ahead for a 48-44 victory here in Garland, Texas.

The Lady Panthers (21-11) earned the SWAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Southern (20-11) is coming home. Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said SU will turn down a bid to the WNIT because of concerns over travel costs.

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Prairie View A&M Makes The Right Choice--Promotes Wilson

Prairie View A&M University Lady Panthers assistant coach Toyelle Wilson has been promoted to head women's basketball coach, making the 28 year old Wilson one of the nation's youngest NCAA Division I coach. Coach Wilson succeed Cynthia Cooper-Dyke who moved on to University of North Carolina - Wilmington.

Prairie View A&M University athletic director Fred Washington finally made a good decision with the promotion of Lady Panthers women basketball assistant coach Toyelle Wilson to the head coach position. First, no one can "replace" a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach like Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who has moved on to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and the Colonial Athletics Association (CAA). Cooper-Dyke was hired away from Prairie View A&M (without a fight) for a mere $25,000 annual increase in pay.

This is where the PVAMU administration and I differ -- "Never let anyone hire away your top coach in the conference without a "battle." Otherwise, you will never be respected as an institution, conference and competitor, nor will your constituents believe that you are serious about your business in intercollegiate athletics."

To make matters worst for Prairie View, the gem of the Lady Panthers 2010/11 recruiting class -- Charlotte Amalie High School star center Aesha Peters has decided to follow Cooper-Dyke to the Colonial Athletic Association school. The 6'-4" Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands native was just what the doctor ordered in talent at center to take the Lady Panthers to the next level in 2010/11.

The difficult task now facing coach Toyelle Wilson, a 28 year old first- time head coach is holding together a recruitment class that is the best the Southwestern Athletic Conference has seen in the past 30 years. In addition to Peters, the Lady Panthers had inked to National Letters of Intent:

Alisha Andrews, Guard, 5-4 Freshman, Stone Mountain, Ga. Redan High School; Ranked as the 31st best point guard prospect in the nation with a grade of 90 by ESPN.com and second-best point guard in the state of Georgia…averaged 14 points, six assists and 4.3 steals…shot 40 percent from the three-point line…earned First Team All-Metro Dekalb County Honors…led her team on a 58-game winning streak….guided Redan back to the state finals as a senior where they fell in the state championship game to finish with a 31-1 record in 2009-10…dished out 11 assists on two occasions during senior campaign…also scored 32 points in a contest and recorded 10 steals in a game…drained seven three-pointers against Luella High School…scored over 1,000 points as a four-year starter in high school.

Gabrielle Scott, Guard, 5-8 Freshman, Vancleave, Miss. Vancleave H.S; Listed as the second-best player in the state of Mississippi by ESPN.com…ranked fourth by Mississippi Sportstalk.com…averaged 20 points and five assists as a senior…finalist for the Biloxi and South Mississippi Sun Herald Basketball Player of the Year…guided her team to the Class 5A South State semifinals…earned district MVP and all-state honorable mention honors.

Tesha Stokes, Forward, 6-0 Freshman, H, Hawthorne, Calif. Morningside H.S; Younger sister of former Lady Panther standout and first-ever recruit under Cooper-Dyke in Twila Stokes (2005-2009)…averaged 12.4 points, 15.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots per game as a senior…earned second-team honors by the Los Angeles Wave newspaper…named to the 2009-10 All CIF-Southern Section / SCIBA 4AA Second Team…played in the East-West 110 All-Star Basketball Game…ranked 54th nationally among class of 2010 standouts by Carolina’s Scouting Report…a rebounding machine as she pulled down 20-plus rebounds in 10 games this season…had seven games with 10 or more offensive rebounds…grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 26 of 30 games played as a senior.

Ryven Jackson, Guard, 5-9 Freshman, Little Rock, Arkansas Parkview; Earned Class 6A Girls All-State Honors….selected to play in the 2010 East-West Tyson/Arkansas Army National Guard High School Coaches Association in June…guided team to the Class 6A State Tournament…participated in the 11th Annual Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Metro Basketball Game…tournament MVP of Martin Luther King Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. and made history as the first girl’s out-of-state team to win the girl’s championship…ranked among the top prospects in the state of Arkansas.

Damika Abria Trice, Guard/Forward, 6-1 Freshman, Atlanta, Georgia, Dutchtown; Averaged 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and one block per game…can play both guard and post…guided team to the semifinals of the 2010 Georgia High School Association Class 4A Girls State Tournament…earned All-Southern Crescent Honors…also played softball and earned Class 4A First Team All-Region Honors at shortstop.

The future success of the Coach Wilson era will be dictated by the decisions made by these 18 year old that now have a choice to request a release from the NCAA from their NLI or stay put at Prairie View A&M. The outcome of this process will be announced at some point before the Fall term. Right now, their decision can go either way and it will lay the foundation on the future success of the Lady Panthers basketball program. Let's be honest here; without the thoroughbreds, Toyelle Wilson will become just another ordinary HBCU coach toiling in obscurity.

Nevertheless, I like this hire! Now, the rest of the story...

Wilson Elevated to head women's basketball coach

Prairie View A&M University Athletic Director Fred Washington announced today the promotion of Toyelle Wilson to head coach of the women’s basketball team. “We’re glad to have been able to retain Coach Wilson and are excited about the future of our women’s basketball program,” said Washington. “Wilson has been a part of all the success we’ve had and is deserving of a chance to show everyone her ability to coach on this level.”

Prior to accepting the position of head coach, Wilson spent the past four seasons as the top assistant coach for the Lady Panthers and played a large role in Prairie View A&M’s success with four consecutive postseason appearances, three straight Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season titles, two NCAA Tournament and two Women's NIT berths. Off the court, Wilson was involved in all aspects of the program with special emphasis on recruiting, the development of the team’s perimeter players, scouting, film breakdown, game strategy and operations such as team travel.

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