Prairie View A&M Wins SWAC Title, NCAA Berth

College Park, Ga. Eighth-seeded Prairie View A&M defeated third-seeded Southern 72-66 on Saturday night at Gateway Center Arena to claim the Southwestern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament championship and secure an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers, who finished the season 18-17, controlled much of the game behind a balanced scoring attack led by Lance Williams with 18 points, five assists and four rebounds. Dontae Horne added 15 points, including crucial layups in the final seconds, while Cory Wells contributed 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Corey Dunning led the team with nine rebounds. Prairie View shot 41 percent from the field and made nine of 18 three-pointers, building a 41-28 halftime lead after knocking down six from deep in the first half.

Southern, now 17-17, mounted a late comeback, pulling within two points at 68-66 with 24 seconds remaining after erasing a 22-point deficit. The Jaguars were paced by Michael Jacobs with 19 points and nine assists, and AJ Barnes with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Terrance Dixon Jr. added key scoring in the rally. Southern shot just 5 of 19 from three-point range overall and trailed for the...