The Prairie View A&M women’s basketball team walked off the Gateway Center court reflecting on what had been a familiar outcome.
The Panthers, which had entered the SWAC tournament in Atlanta without a regular-season win, fell for the 18th consecutive time in league play, 64-49 to Mississippi Valley State in the opening round on Monday night.
Despite suffering their 24th-straight loss overall, coach Tai Dillard and players emphasized progress and valuable development as key takeaways from the trying year.
Prairie View was resilient amid struggles
Dillard, in her first season at Prairie View, acknowledged the season didn’t meet initial hopes but framed it as a period of valuable growth. “Each game, there’s been a different lesson. Each day there’s been a different lesson,” she said, refusing to view losses as a total indictment of the season.
Players echoed the coach’s optimism. Sophomore point guard CJ Wilson indicated that adversity forced the group to grow up quickly.
Alana Shields, a freshman guard from Chicago, likened their experience to “being pushed in the water with sharks, and we were forced to swim, but we got it done.”
The group also credited upperclassmen for setting the tone, insisting the season brought real success in maturity. “We had success in our season. I won’t say we were failures just because we lost so many games. We grew as women and as players, athletes, students,” said Shields.
Prairie View players shared profound individual insights on development beyond the court. Shields reflected on self-accountability: “Sometimes you just got to look in the mirror instead of blaming the next person… Once I took some responsibility, I saw more success in myself as a player.”
Looking ahead to rebuilding the Panthers
Addressing program-building in a transfer portal era, Dillard outlined a deliberate offseason approach. She plans to assess shortcomings, challenge current players to improve, and align recruiting with long-term goals.
The Panthers didn’t win a game after November — losing each outing by double digits, which suggests much-needed refinement in depth and talent. The roster only featured one All-SWAC selection in Crystal Shultz, who earned Second Team honors.
Dillard explained that she and her staff will work to build a stronger unit.
“We go into this offseason and really break things down… Figuring out how we challenge the players in this offseason,” she said. “But also figuring out what their ultimate goals are.”
