Prairie View A&M defeats Lehigh 67-55 in First Four for historic March Madness win

Panthers advance to face defending champion Florida in first round after strong defensive effort

Mar. 19, 2026 at 2:19am

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Dontae Horne scored 25 points and Cory Wells had 19 points and 11 rebounds as Prairie View A&M earned its first NCAA Tournament victory, 67-55 over Lehigh in the First Four. Lance Williams added 10 points for the Panthers, who made their third tournament appearance after going 5-27 last season. They advance as the No. 16 seed in the South Region to face top seed and defending national champion Florida.

Why it matters

This is a landmark win for Prairie View A&M, a historically Black university, as they earn their first-ever March Madness victory. The Panthers overcame a poor shooting night from Lehigh star Nasir Whitlock to advance, showcasing their defensive intensity and team-first approach.

The details

Prairie View A&M held Lehigh leading scorer Nasir Whitlock, the Patriot League Tournament MVP, to just 5 points on 2-of-15 shooting. The Panthers' defense was led by Lance Williams, who coach Bryan Smith credited with shutting down Whitlock. Cory Wells added a double-double for Prairie View, which has now won 8 straight games.

  • The game was played on Wednesday, March 19, 2026 in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament.
  • Prairie View A&M advances to face top seed and defending national champion Florida on Friday, March 21, 2026.

The players

Dontae Horne

Scored a team-high 25 points and added 7 rebounds and 4 steals for Prairie View A&M.

Cory Wells

Recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Prairie View A&M.

Lance Williams

Contributed 10 points and was credited by his coach for shutting down Lehigh star Nasir Whitlock on defense.

Nasir Whitlock

Lehigh's leading scorer and Patriot League Tournament MVP, was held to just 5 points on 2-of-15 shooting.

Hank Alvey

Led Lehigh with 23 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.

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What they’re saying

“Definitely gratifying. A heck of a basketball game. We're definitely excited to survive and advance and move on to the first round on Friday night.”

— Bryan Smith, Head Coach, Prairie View A&M

“As basketball players you watch every NCAA Tournament, and just to think that you're here now and you'll be playing the team who just won last year. We're going to go out there and compete regardless.”

— Cory Wells, Player, Prairie View A&M

“Definitely not the way I think anybody up here thought it was going to go. But that's just basketball. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. Today is one of those days where I thought we couldn't really get too much going.”

— Nasir Whitlock, Player, Lehigh

“We've got a great player in Nasir Whitlock, but he had somebody blanketed in front of him all night long. It was harder for him to get angles and opportunities to really finish at the rim or get the separation that he needed.”

— Brett Reed, Head Coach, Lehigh

What’s next

Prairie View A&M will face top-seeded and defending national champion Florida on Friday, March 21, 2026 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament South Region.

The takeaway

This historic win for Prairie View A&M, a small HBCU program, shows the power of defense and team basketball to overcome a star player's off night. The Panthers' stifling effort on Lehigh's leading scorer Nasir Whitlock was the key to their first-ever March Madness victory, setting up an intriguing matchup with the defending champions.