REECE POWERS PANTHERS TO SEMIS

Raymond Reece scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead the Philander Smith Panthers to an 80-64 win over the Voorhees Tigers in the quarterfinal matchup of the 2026 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Championship.  

Before the contest, Reece was presented the HBCUAC Defensive Player of the Year Award, along with the Conference Most Valuable Player Award for the 2026 season.  While Reece found the going was rough early in the game, with the Tigers double-teaming him when the Panthers had the ball, he contributed from the free throw line, scoring four points en route to an 11-point first half.  Benefiting from those double teams was teammate Joshua Wallace, who poured in 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field in 32 minutes of play.  Reece also recorded three assists, two steals, and three blocks, further highlighting his Defensive Player of the Year recognition.

The deep and lengthy Tigers were pesky opponents as the back-and-forth affair saw several ties and lead changes throughout most of the first half.  However, a 7-0 Panther run, which included a three-pointer by reserve I'Ryan Allen, in the final 1:37 of the half provided them a 45-37 lead they would never relinquish.  The Tigers tried to make a charge early in the second half, but it was more of the Wallace and Reece show that kept them at bay the rest of the way.

Elijah Anderson contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists, and Allen led the bench scoring with 10, as the Panthers had four players scoring in double figures.

Jermarquis Johnson Rydarius Hill scored 20 points apiece to lead the Tigers.

The Panthers will play Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO) on Saturday, February 28th at 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time in a Semi-final matchup.  Follow the game on the Urbanedgenetwork.net.