BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Texas Southern Tigers defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers by a score of 80-61 to claim the 2021 Cricket SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship.

Texas Southern placed five players in double figures as Karl Nicholas led all scorers with 16 points. Jordan Gilliam and Justin Hopkins contributed 15 points each while Michael Weathers and John Walker tallied 13 and 10 points respectively.

TSU would take a 36-28 lead into the break before extending its lead to double digits in the second half.

“Winning this championship ranks second to none for me on a personal level,” said TSU head coach Johnny Jones. “I’m very proud of the way our team battled through adversity to get to this point. This championship means a lot to our players and Texas Southern University. We’re excited about where this program is headed and we look forward to traveling to participate in the NCAA Tournament.”

Faite Williams led Prairie View A&M in scoring contributing 14 points and two rebounds along with a steal. Jawaun Daniels was the Panthers only other double figure scorer as he finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Texas Southern shot 50.9 percent from the field (29-57) while limiting PVAMU to 33.8 percent shooting (24-71). The Tigers also out rebounded Prairie View A&M 45-40 and forced the Panthers into committing 13 turnovers.

Texas Southern would take its largest lead of the game at the 2:44 mark of the second half at 77-56 in a game that featured a total of six ties.

TSU heads back to the Big Dance for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Texas Southern will learn its opening round opponent tomorrow when March Madness tournament seedings are revealed during the NCAA Selection Show.  

Tournament MVP
Michael Weathers- Texas Southern 

All-Tournament Team
Tristan Jarrett- Jackson State 
Jawaun Daniels- Prairie View A&M
Faite Williams- Prairie View A&M
Karl Nicholas- Texas Southern
Michael Weathers- Texas Southern 

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams. 
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis. 
 
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball. 
 
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.