DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 18: Lance Williams #12 of the Prairie View A&M Panthers celebrates their win over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks during the First Four round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball tournament held at UD Arena on March 18, 2026 in Da …
DAYTON, Ohio - Prairie View A&M advanced in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night, defeating Lehigh 67-55 in a First Four match-up at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Prairie View will move on to face the Florida Gators in the Round of 64.
Panthers make program history in First Four victory
What we know:
Prairie View A&M earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory at the Division I level, leaning on senior guard Dontae Horne and senior forward Cory Wells to lead the way.
Both teams came in playing well, with Lehigh winning eight of its last 10 games and Prairie View A&M going 9-1 over the same span.
Horne scored a game-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds and four steals, while Wells added 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Both players logged all 40 minutes and anchored a defensive effort that limited Lehigh’s top scorer, Nasir Whitlock, to five points.
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 18: Dontae Horne #2 of the Prairie View A&M Panthers celebrates after defeating the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 67-55 in the First Four game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 18, 2026 in Dayton, …
Lehigh led 29-27 at halftime despite Whitlock being held scoreless in the first half. He did not record his first field goal until around the 12-minute mark of the second half.
Prairie View A&M defense shuts it down
Dig deeper:
Prairie View A&M seized control early after the break, opening the second half on an 8-1 run to take the lead for good. The Panthers extended the margin by efficient scoring and active defense, finishing with 12 steals and nine blocks.
Lehigh, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012, struggled to generate consistent offense in the second half and shot just 21-for-58 from the field.
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 18: Nasir Whitlock #1 of the Lehigh Mountain Hawks celebrates after a three-point shot during the second half in the First Four game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 18, 2026 in Dayton, Ohio. (Pho …
Sophomore forward, Hank Alvey, led the Mountain Hawks with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Prairie View A&M vs. Florida Gators
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 18: A detailed view of a "March Madness" logo is seen on a basketball before the Lehigh Mountain Hawks take on the Prairie View A&M Panthers during the first half in the First Four game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball T …
What's next:
Upon the victory, Prairiie View A&M's social media account poked fun at critics who noted that the Panthers had never won a NCAA tournament game.
The Panthers will move on to face Florida in the Round of 64 on Friday at 8:25 p.m.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by live coverage of the NCAA Tournament.