GARLAND, Texas – Derick Beltran had 13 points with a late steal and breakaway layup, and Southern University got its first NCAA tournament berth since 2006 with a 45-44 victory over Prairie View in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championship game Saturday.
Beltran's play with 1:41 left made it 45-38. The Jaguars (23-9) held on despite some late turnovers.
Jules Montgomery's putback for Prairie View came before before Southern's Jameel Grace stepped out of bounds. Carl Blair then hit a floating hook shot before another backcourt turnover led to Montrael Scott's floater to get the Panthers (15-19) within a point with 42 seconds left.
Grace missed a 3-pointer as the shot clock ran out, and Jourdan DeMuynck got the rebound and drove the length of the court.
DeMuynck was out of control when the ball came loose near the basket. He was on the floor along with Beltran when the game ended.
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