ATLANTA, Ga. — The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team opens postseason play Monday evening as the Lady Panthers face the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes in the first round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Gateway Center Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET.

Prairie View A&M enters the tournament looking to turn the page after two closely contested meetings with Valley State during the regular season. In the first matchup, the Lady Panthers received a strong defensive effort but fell 67-45 despite forcing 27 turnovers and holding the Devilettes to just 37.7 percent shooting from the field.

Crystal Schultz and Alana Shields each led Prairie View A&M with 11 points in that contest, while Margan Allen contributed 10 points off the bench as the Lady Panthers' reserves accounted for 14 points.

The teams met again later in the season in a much tighter contest. Prairie View A&M battled back from an early deficit and entered halftime tied at 42-42, but Mississippi Valley State managed to pull away late for an 80-73 win.

Schultz led the way with a game-high 23 points and four steals, while CJ Wilson added 17 points and seven rebounds. Marckalia Celestine made her presence felt on the boards with 10 rebounds and three blocks as the Lady Panthers forced 15 turnovers and converted them into 19 points.

Despite the outcomes, Prairie View A&M showed improvement in the second meeting, including a strong performance from its bench unit, which produced 33 points.

Now the two teams meet once again with postseason stakes on the line as Prairie View A&M looks to build on those performances and advance in the SWAC Tournament.

Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+.