After a slow start and a first half riddled with turnovers, the Alcorn State Braves stepped up in the second half to defeat Prairie View A&M 71-64 at home Tuesday night.

Prairie View was hot around the perimeter early, scoring their first 12 points from behind the arc. But the Braves bounced backed by going to a man-to-man defense.

The Braves tied the game when Patrick Horton scored two points with under six minutes to play in the half. Alcorn State then built a three-point lead with just over four minutes to go.

Prairie View battled backed in the final minutes of the half, but missed free throw opportunities kept the Braves on top, leading 31-30 despite committing 15 first-half turnovers.

Both teams picked things up at the start of the second half right where they left off.

Both teams swapped buckets and eventually the game was knotted at 45, with just over 10 minutes to play.

The would be short lived as Alcorn State went on a 7-2 scoring run with less than six minutes to go, and built up a six point lead. The Braves’ defense stayed strong to close out the game and secure a 71-64 victory over Prairie View.

“Our defense picked it up in the second half, and that was the difference maker for us,” Alcorn State head coach Sam West said.

“Everything got better for us in the second half.”