Prior to Tuesday's contest, the Delta Devils defeated the Panthers twice in the regular season, including a win on Senior Night on Feb. 24 in Greenwood. 

But it's always hard to beat a team three times in one season and Prairie View revenged its earlier losses with a 79-63 victory over MVSU to advance to play No. 1 seed Southern on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. The loss ends MVSU's season. 

"I was pleased with the guys effort," said MVSU interim head coach Marcus Thomas. "Many times the ball doesn't bounce the way you would like for it to bounce. But our team really focuses on character and sportsmanship and the development of those young men as they go on and matriculate through their collegiate process. I'm pleased with the effort these guys gave tonight. (But) shots weren't falling."

Both teams struggled through the first half, with Valley shooting just 27.6 percent and Prairie View making only 35 percent of its attempts. The Panthers held a 29-21 halftime lead. 

The Delta Devils started to climb its way back in the beginning of the second half with a couple of shots by Jeffrey Simmons and Vacha Vaughn that cut the Panthers' lead to 31-27 with under 18 minutes left. 

Later in the second half, a pair of Jordan Washington free throws cut Prairie View's lead back to four, 39-35, with 13:41 left. Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Delta Devils would get for the rest of the game. 

Valley scored just four points over the next six minutes and Prairie View went on a 14-4 run to recover its momentum. 

MVSU's Blake Ralling and DeAngelo Priar both hit a pair of 3's with under two minutes to play, but the Panthers were already too far ahead. 

Priar led Valley with 15 points off the bench while Washington and Jeffrey Simmons added 10 each. Ervin Thomas chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds in his final game as a Delta Devil. 

"It was an amazing experience," said Thomas, who played two seasons at Valley. "With it being my senior year, I just wanted to give it all that I had." 

MVSU's leading scorer going into the game, Anthony McDonald, was held to six points, which he scored on a couple of 3's. The Aberdeen, Miss. native said despite the loss, he enjoyed the experience. 

"It was big for me because I come from a small town and a place like this is huge for me," McDonald said, referring to the Toyota Center -- home of the NBA's Houston Rockets. "It'll be something that I'll always remember."

Demondre Chapman led the Panthers with 17 points off the bench and Jules Montgomery had a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in a winning effort. 

Even with the loss, Valley players have no reason to hold their heads down, Thomas said. 

"I think the guys did a great job of refocusing," he said. "It's always difficult when you have a leadership change. They came in and did everything I asked them to do. They worked hard every day. They had the right attitude; they had a military mindset. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to work with."