Prairie View A&M and Miami (Ohio) secured the final two places in the first round of March Madness after winning their respective First Four games on Wednesday night.
Dontae Horne scored 25 points and Cory Wells had 19 points and 11 rebounds as Prairie View A&M earned its first ever victory at an NCAA Tournament in a 67-55 win over Lehigh.
Lance Williams added 10 points for the Panthers (19-17), who were making 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.
Horne also had seven rebounds and four steals. The 25-year-old guard played all 40 minutes, as did Wells and Williams.
‘Definitely gratifying,’ coach Bryan Smith said. ‘A heck of a basketball game. We’re definitely excited to survive and advance and move on to the first round on Friday night.’
Prairie View A&M has now won eight straight, including a 72-66 victory over Southern in the SWAC championship game.
Prairie View A&M reached the first round of March Madness with a 67-55 victory over Lehigh
Miami (Ohio) also progressed after their own First Four win against SMU on Wednesday
As for Miami, they progressed to the first round after an 89-79 win against SMU – which goes down as their first March Madness win in 27 years.
Eian Elmer scored 22 points and went 6 of 9 from 3-point range as the 11th-seeded RedHawks (32-1), unbeaten during the regular season, advanced in the Midwest Region to play No. 6 seed Tennessee.
Brant Byers added 19 points, including four 3s, and Luke Skaljac had 17 for Miami, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. The RedHawks finished 16 of 41 from 3-point range.
Jaden Toombs led SMU (20-14) with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 18 points and Boopie Miller had 15 for the Mustangs.
Miami will take on No. 6 Tennessee in Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, while Prairie View A&M faces Florida that evening in Tampa, Florida.
