COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — The Prairie View A&M men's basketball team shot 50 percent from deep on the way to a 72-66 win against the Southern Jaguars at Gateway Center Arena at College Park Saturday, capturing the 2026 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament championship and punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament "Big Dance."

With the win, the Panthers secured the Southwestern Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Prairie View A&M (18-17) had four players score in double figures, led by Lance Williams, who had 18 points and five assists. Cory Wells tacked on 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Dontae Horne added 15 points, five assists and four steals.

Corey Dunning pulled down five offensive rebounds to lead the Prairie View A&M offense, which grabbed 10 boards on the offensive glass and turned them into 10 second-chance points.

Prairie View A&M did a great job disrupting Southern shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Wells' three rejections led the way individually for the Panthers.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 24-17 advantage, Prairie View A&M went on a 10-0 run with 7:23 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Wells to increase its lead to 34-17. The Panthers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 41-28 advantage. Prairie View A&M relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 41 points.

Prairie View A&M started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on a 6-0 run finished off by Williams' three to grow the lead to 47-28 with 18:08 to go in the contest. The Jaguars narrowed the margin late, but the Panthers held on down the stretch for the 72-66 championship victory.

Prairie View A&M also took care of business in the paint, recording 16 of its 31 second-half points in the lane while controlling the tempo throughout the final minutes.

Championship Honors

Dontae Horne was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, highlighting a standout performance throughout the tournament. Horne was also named to the SWAC All-Tournament Team, joined by teammate Lance Williams, who earned All-Tournament Team honors following his 18-point performance in the title game.

The championship marks a major milestone for the Panthers as they now turn their focus to the national stage in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Game Notes

» The Panthers made half of their attempts from three-point range, knocking down nine of 18 shots.
» Prairie View A&M held the Jaguars to only 37.1 percent shooting from the field.
» Prairie View A&M never trailed on the way to the 72-66 victory.
» The Panthers were active defensively, tallying six blocks as a team.
» Prairie View A&M collected 10 offensive rebounds leading to 10 second-chance points.
» Lance Williams led the Panthers with 18 points.
» Corey Dunning recorded a team-high nine rebounds.
» The championship is Prairie View A&M's first SWAC Tournament title since 2019.
» For Prairie View A&M this is the fourth time the Panthers came into the tournament as the No. 8 seed in SWAC history to win the tournament championship.
» The win secures the Panthers an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.