COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Prairie View A&M Panthers started out strong but ran into a buzzsaw as the No. 19 ranked Texas A&M Aggies pulled away for an 89-54 non-conference win on Wednesday evening at Reed Arena.
Led by sophomore Michael Griffin's 10 points, the Panthers stormed out to a 15-6 lead with 16:04 remaining in the first half.However, Griffin and senior forward Darnell Hugee fell into early foul trouble after the run and A&M responded with a 17-6 surge to claim a 23-21 advantage with 3:41 left in the half.Following the media timeout, A&M's Khris Middleton drained two treys and propelled the Aggies to a 35-25 halftime advantage.
Dorian McDaniel and A&M's Derrick Roland both traded three-point baskets to open the second half but the shots stopped falling for the Panthers as A&M began the second half on an 8-2 run.
Prairie View never recovered as A&M broke the contest open en route to the victory.
Griffin led Prairie View A&M with 16 points while McDaniel chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Panthers return to action on Saturday as they travel to the University of Iowa for a 3:05 p.m. start.