TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Bentravin Phillips delivered two steals and layups in the final two minutes to lead No. 3 seed Dillard University to a 74-72 victory over No. 5 seed Philander Smith in the finals of the 2025 HBCUAC Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship Sunday at Birthright Alumni Hall.
The win secured Dillard’s fourth conference tournament title and its first since winning three straight from 2016 to 2018.
Philander Smith (22-9) started fast behind early baskets from Raymond Reece, and Amorey Womack added a steal and three-point play to build a seven-point lead. Justin Warren responded with a jumper to give Dillard a 22-21 advantage with 8:47 left in the first half. After several lead changes, Tory Cargo’s 3-pointer sent Dillard into halftime with a 34-33 lead.
Philander Smith regained control in the second half. With the score tied at 52, Dakhari Lewis converted a layup and free throw to put the Panthers ahead. Xavier Alexander hit a 3-pointer, and Womack added a layup to push the lead to eight.
Dillard responded. Armond Williams scored, Warren made a steal and assisted Cargo on a dunk, and Ben Fort followed with a layup to trim the deficit to 60-58 with 7:20 remaining. Warren added two more baskets to give Dillard a 65-63 lead with just over four minutes left.
Philander Smith rallied again. Elijah Anderson and Alexander hit shots, and Lewis scored on a putback to build a five-point lead with 2:25 remaining. But Dillard closed strong. Khalif Allim threw down a dunk, Phillips added a steal and layup, and Warren tied the game with a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left.
Phillips then came up with another steal and layup to give the Bleu Devils the lead for good. Philander Smith was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.
Phillips was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after posting a team-high 18 points, six assists and three steals. Cargo earned All-Tournament honors with 13 points and six rebounds. Warren also made the All-Tournament Team, contributing 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Reece led all scorers with 21 points and 15 rebounds for Philander Smith, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Womack added 15 points and four assists, and Lewis finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
With the victory, Dillard secured the conference’s second automatic bid to the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round. Stillman College, the regular-season co-champion and No. 1 seed, earned the first automatic berth.
Both teams will learn their opening-round opponents and locations during the NAIA Selection Show, which airs at 7 p.m. Thursday on the NAIA Network.
2025 HBCUAC All-Tournament Team
- Most Valuable Player: Bentravin Phillips, Dillard
- Tory Cargo, Dillard
- Justin Warren, Dillard
- Raymond Reece, Philander Smith
- Jesse Olverson Jr., Wilberforce
