Prairie View A&M finally put it together at the right time to pull off the first stunning result of the SWAC Tournament.
The Panthers knocked off tournament No. 1 seed and conference regular season champion Bethune-Cookman 71-67 on Wednesday night with a gritty effort that turned brackets upside down.
“It’s a testament to how far we’ve come as a team,” said Dontae Horne, who scored 30 points in the win.
Prairie View saw the win as proof of their growth, noting past seasons where they dropped late games like this one.
Prairie View coach Byron Smith indicated his group — a tested bunch — is “everyday guys” who try to outwork opponents
“They bring their hard hats,” he said.
The Wildcats (17-15) led by four points with three minutes remaining and two points with just over a minute and a half left in regulation.
The Panthers (16-17) held B-CU without a field goal for the final three minutes. They rallied for four points in the last 44 seconds to complete the upset.
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Conversely, Bethune-Cookman made only two of its 11 tries from beyond the arc. Jakobi Heady paced the squad with 21 points.
“It’s not the best team that wins, it’s the team that plays the best and executes,” said Wildcats coach Reggie Theus.
He pinpointed the Panthers’ eight made threes to B-CU’s two as a killer stat, saying his team “didn’t do a good job of guarding one-on-one” and lacked effective half-court closeouts on shooters.
Along with Horne’s big night, Cory Wells added 22 points and 10 rebounds. The duo combined to hit seven of their 10 3-point attempts, as the Panthers converted eight of 14 (57%) overall.
“They played really well and did the job they had to do down the stretch,” said Theus. He noted the Wildcats mixed man and zone defenses but couldn’t contain the Panthers’ drive to create one-on-one matchups, where over 50 points came from two players.
A great B-CU season despite a loss
Reflecting on the year, Theus called it a “very great year,” with the program clinching the No. 1 seed three games early — something he said was unprecedented.
But Theus acknowledged that early success led to an “exhale” that softened their edge, adding that if Prairie View hadn’t played so well, he’d be far more upset. The loss stung, but he said the Panthers “deserve to win” after their second-half surge.
“We’ve accomplished things here that had never been done before,” he said.
Prairie View seized the moment
Horne, the All-SWAC performer, could do no wrong against Bethune-Cookman and helped inspire his team’s effort and what they could accomplish beyond Wednesday.
“We’re staying hungry, staying level-headed,” Horne said, eyeing the next round.
