Job's Unfinished: Prairie View Dominates Alabama A&M, Advances to SWAC Championship Game

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Dontae Horne scored a game-high 25 points as Prairie View A&M dominated Alabama A&M, winning 74-55. The Panthers advance to the 2026 Pepsi SWAC Basketball Championship game at 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 14, at Gateway Center Arena. This marks the Panthers’ first championship appearance since 2021.

“We knew we had a work cut out for us,” Coach Bryon Smith said in his postgame interview. “But, super proud of our guys to come in and get a convincing win like this in the semifinal game.”

Point guard Lance Williams attacked the rim, finishing with 18 points, including 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.

Corey Wells continued to play a significant role for the Panthers, recording 17 points and 7 rebounds. Corey Dunning led all rebounders with 10.

Smith responded to a reporter’s question, who likened Prairie View’s run as a Cinderella team: “Well, in the infamous words of Kobe Bryant — job's unfinished. Obviously, [we] got one more to go. But I definitely think this is a bit of a surprise to some people. Not to us. So I guess if you want to use the analogy of Cinderella, I guess that probably fits us right now.”

Alabama A&M couldn't keep up with Prairie View’s trio—Horne, Williams, and Wells—who combined for 81 percent of the Panthers' points.

Prairie View seized control when Corey Wells broke a 19-19 tie with 8:58 left in the half. The Panthers' 18-5 run put them up 36-21 at the break.

See yall in the SWAC Championship 😎#PvamuMBB | #PantherPride pic.twitter.com/75mvjSyVCC
— PVAMU Men’s Basketball (@PVAMU_MBB) March 13, 2026

“I mean, obviously, you've got quality scorers like these three guys (Horne, Wells, and Williams),” Smith said. “Wells, I think he’s the best two-way player in the league... The scoring part is not hard for us. It's defending and rebounding, which has kind of been our Achilles heel. But as you see, we're doing that at a pretty high level right now. And I think the offense is kind of falling into place.”

The Bulldogs were limited to 26.09 shooting from the floor and made just 53.85 percent from the foul line in the first half by the Panthers' defense. Overall, AAMU scored only 33.3 percent compared to Prairie View’s blistering 52.0 percent in the contest.

Top Quotes - Coach Smith

On Dontae Horne: “I think Dontae is showing you a little bit of a 'Black Dontae' today with some of his things going to the basket. These guys are doing a really, really good job, and if we just continue to share the basketball, any given night, either one of these three guys can get 20-plus points.”

On Team Leadership: "I think all three of these young men are leaders, and you throw in Lance Williams, who did something huge. I think all four of those guys are our leaders in terms of their experience... We're well represented with experienced guys who know how to play, are very poised, and never show any type of nervousness. That's very comforting to a coach — to go to bed at night knowing we've got leadership, guys that the moment isn't too big for.”

Proud of His Team: “I think if you play the right way, you're going to get rewarded in a way that is unbelievable — even to some of these guys — in the way we put the ball in the basket. My hat's off to these guys. They put in the work. I'm just kind of the conductor. But they're the ones making beautiful music today — defensively, offensively, and in transition."

Footnotes to the Victory

Tai'Reon Joseph scored 4 points but made key defensive contributions in the first half.
The Panthers dominated the paint, outscoring the Bulldogs 44-20.
Prairie View A&M scored 13 points off Alabama A&M turnovers.
The lead changed three times in the first half.

Up Next

Prairie View A&M will face the Florida A&M-Southern winner in the championship at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 14, at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

“I've said it before — not to be too cliché — but I'm so proud to be their coach. Great group of guys to coach, and they're going to be great people. They're going to do great things in life and have tremendous value to our society.”