Prairie View A&M fought until the final buzzer sounded, but an untimely run by Southern late in the second half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship game spelled the end of the season.
PVAMU was defeated 45-44 in a heartbreaker that came down to a final shot attempt.
PVAMU held strong on their final defensive possession and got the ball back with five seconds remaining. Jourdan DeMuynck took the ball the length of the court but couldn’t get the shot attempt up as he fell and lost the ball with time expiring.
PVAMU made their first SWAC Tournament Championship Game appearance for the fist time in 15 years.
With his team trailing 38-37 with 4:04 left in the game, DeMuynck went to the line and made one of two free throws to tie the game. PVAMU recovered with a run of their own but it fell short.
Senior guard Ryan Gesiakowski drained a corner three and Carl Blair followed it up with a driving layup to give the Panthers a 34-30 lead with 9:48 remaining in the game. In true back and forth fashion, Southern responded with a 7-0 run, which was capped off by Yondarius Johnson’s fast break layup with 8:07 left on the clock to go up 37-34. DeMuynck scored three consecutive points, ending with a fast break layup of his own to tie the game at 37.
DeMuynck followed up his 37-point semifinal performance by going for a game-high 15 points and nine rebounds against Southern in the championship game. He and Carl Blair were named to the SWAC All-Tournament team.
Prarie View A&M
Tuesday, June 24, 2025