The Prairie View A&M Panthers missed a huge opportunity to solidify the No. 2 seed in the SWAC Tournament as their comeback attempt fell short in the final minute in a 81-75 loss to Alcorn State on Thursday night in the Baby Dome.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team leading by more than five points.  There were seven ties and three lead changes in the half as the Panthers claimed a four-point lead on two occasions in the final 2:10.  Ahead 32-28 after Josh Eleby's layup with 52 seconds remaining, ASU's Terrance Birdie drained a trey with 23 seconds left to cut Alcorn State's deficit to 32-31.  Senior point guard Carl Blair drew a foul with five seconds remaining and nailed two free throws to send the Panthers into the locker room ahead 34-31.

Both teams got off to a sluggish start to begin the second stanza as they combined for four turnovers within the first three minutes of play but ASU managed to score the first five points of the half to lead 36-34 at the 19:10 mark.

Tied for the ninth time at 36-all after two free throws from Ryan Gesiakowski, Alcorn State's Marquis Baker nailed a three-pointer for a 39-36 margin but PV closed to within 39-38 after Jules Montgomery's layup.  However, Alcorn State began to break the game open as they outscored the Panthers 12-4 over the next few minutes en route to a 53-42 advantage with 11:50 remaining. 

With 10:49 left, senior post Mayol Riathin drew a goaltending and foul call on his dunk attempt.  Riathin nailed the free throw for the three-point play followed by a basket from Jourdan DeMuynck to close within 55-49.  But once again, the Panthers struggled to make critical defensive stops when needed as Alcorn State outscored the Panthers 8-1 to claim a 64-50 margin with 8:03 left on the clock.

Alcorn State maintained a double digit lead over the next four minutes but PV came roaring back once again for the second straight game with their backs against the wall.

Down by 12 at the 5:01 mark, junior Rasi Jenkins hit two free throws for a 10-point deficit followed by DeMuynck's putback to cut the margin to eight points.  A Josh Nichols turnover led to an ASU foul and DeMuynck nailed 1-of-2 free throws for a seven-point deficit.  The Braves went back ahead by nine following two free throws from Terrance Birdie but PV continued to fight as they closed to within 72-69 as Carl Blair scored four of the next six points for the Panthers.

Down by three, the Panthers made a key defensive stop as Josh Eleby blocked Luckett's shot attempt but PV failed to secure the ball as Luckett reclaimed the ball after Michael Starks' missed basket and countered with a big three-point play to make it a two-possession game at 75-69.  Prairie View A&M committed a critical turnover on the ensuing possession which forced them to foul as ASU's Devonte Hampton hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 76-69 margin with 46 seconds remaining.

The Panthers would draw no closer from that point as the Braves recorded their first season sweep over the Panthers since 2006 and the tiebreaker in case the teams are tied entering the SWAC Tournament.

DeMuynck led the way with 22 points and six rebounds while Blair dished out eight assists while scoring 13 points.  Montgomery added 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

As a result of the loss, the Panthers are now in a three-way tie for fourth-place and the No. 2 seed with Jackson State and Alcorn State.  The road to the No. 2 seed is much cloudier for the Panthers now with four teams in contention for the spot as the web won't untangle until the end of the regular season on Saturday.

The Panthers will close out the 2013 regular season on Saturday afternoon against Southern at 5 p.m. in the Baby Dome.  The team will honor its five seniors during pregame in Carl Blair, Jourdan DeMuynck, Ryan Gesiakowski, Mayol Riathin and Ronald Wright.