ATLANTA–For the first time in history a team has won four straight games to win the SWAC Tournament and move on to the NCAA Tournament. No. 8 seed Prairie View A&M ran a four-day gauntlet in Atlanta to beat No. 3 seed Southern 72-66 for the SWAC Championship. The Panthers become the third HBCU to punch its ticket to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
First Half Sprint by Prairie View
Prairie View A&M came out aggressive from the opening tip and controlled the tempo early in the SWAC Championship matchup with Southern.
Dontae Horne scored the first basket of the game on a hook shot, and Cory Wells quickly energized the Panthers with a powerful dunk to give Prairie View an early lead. Southern struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the opening minutes, while Prairie View capitalized on turnovers and second-chance opportunities.
Tai’Reon Joseph sparked the Panthers with two early three-pointers, helping Prairie View build a double-digit lead midway through the first half. Lance Williams also delivered key moments, including a second-chance three and multiple fast-break scores that kept the Panthers in control.
Prairie View’s defense played a major role as well. The Panthers forced several Southern turnovers and turned them into quick points on the other end.
Southern tried to respond late in the half behind Michael Jacobs and AJ Barnes, but Prairie View closed the half with a deep step-back three from Horne to take a commanding 41–28 lead into halftime.
Panthers Start Second Half Strong
The Panthers looked like they were on the way to a comfortable SWAC Championship win for much of the second half. The Panthers pushed their halftime lead even higher with a strong opening stretch, using threes from Cory Wells and Lance Williams to build a 47-28 advantage and later extending it to 54-33 and then 59-37. Prairie View kept answering Southern’s pushes with timely baskets, including a three from Elijah Mitchell, a driving score and free throw from Williams, and steady interior play from Wells. Even when Southern found small bursts, Prairie View seemed in control, holding a double-digit lead deep into the half and appearing ready to cruise to the title.
Southern Storms Back
But Southern refused to go away and turned the final minutes into a fight. The Jaguars began chipping away with second-chance points, transition baskets, and a huge lift from Cam Amboree and Michael Jacobs. Southern cut the deficit from 12 to eight on Amboree’s three-pointer, then to six on a fast-break jumper, forcing Prairie View to feel real pressure late. After Prairie View briefly pushed the lead back to eight on a dunk by Hassane Diallo, Southern answered again. Amboree knocked down a three to make it 65-60, and Damariee Jones followed with a driving layup to trim the margin to just 66-62 with 2:43 left, bringing the Jaguars within four points and putting all the pressure on Prairie View down the stretch.
Final 30 Seconds Decide It
Southern made one final push in the closing seconds, but Prairie View A&M delivered the decisive plays to seal the championship. After Cam Amboree missed a three with under 30 seconds left, Cory Wells grabbed the rebound, but Southern quickly capitalized on a turnover as AJ Barnes set up Terrance Dixon Jr. for a layup that cut the deficit to 68–66 with 24 seconds remaining. Prairie View answered immediately. Dontae Horne drove to the basket for a clutch layup with 18 seconds left to push the lead back to four. Southern’s last attempt to answer fell short when Amboree missed a driving layup, and Prairie View secured the rebound. Horne then finished the game with another fast-break layup in the final seconds, helping the Panthers close out a 72–66 victory and secure the SWAC Championship.
The Panthers were led by Lance Williams’ game-high 18 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting night. Cory Wells added 16 points and six rebounds, while Dontae Horne finished with 15 points and five assists, including the two late layups that sealed the victory in the final seconds.
Tai’Reon Joseph chipped in 10 points off the bench, helping the Panthers stretch their lead early in the game.
For Southern, Michael Jacobs paced the Jaguars with 19 points and nine assists, while AJ Barnes recorded a strong double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, leading the late comeback attempt that briefly cut Prairie View’s lead to just four points in the closing minutes.
The win marks the first SWAC title for the Panthers since 2019.