(NCAA.com) –
NCAA DII Central Region Tourney in Maryville, MO
TITLE GAME
(6) UMD 62-52
(5) Southern Nazarene
- From grabbing its 1st NCAA Tourney victory on Saturday, to punching its 1st ticket to the Elite Eight, MN-Duluth is riding high after a 62-52 win over SNU to earn a trip to Evansville, IN. The Bulldogs led for most of the night, going up by as many as 15 points in the Central Region Final. The team only shot 39% overall, but they hit more treys than deuces, connecting from long distance at a 45% rate (9/20). The team also held a huge lead at the FT line, going 19/24 there compared to a 2/5 night for the Storm. SNU shot 34% from the floor & 6/27-3 (22%). Duluth used speed to get by SNU, holding a 15-2 lead in fast break points, and they led by three rebounds. The win puts both UMD basketball teams into the E8 – the 1st time a university from the NSIC has accomplished that feat, and just the 13th time in NCAA DII history. This is the 7th time the NSIC has two teams in the Elite 8 in the same season. Play begins in IN on Tuesday, March 21.
- UMD – Drew Blair 28 points; Josh Brown 9p, 11 rebounds
- SNU – Javon Jackson 18p (2/11-3), 5 assists; Nick Davis 13p
NCAA DII South Central Region Tourney in Canyon, TX
TITLE GAME
(6) BHSU 68-67
(1) West TX A&M
- The Yellowjackets are back to the Elite Eight after narrowly defeating the top seed in their region on Tuesday as they slipped past West TX A&M 68-67. Tied at 67, Joel Scott drained one of two FTA’s w/ 3.9sec to go, putting BHSU up by one. After a timeout, Damion Thornton took the entry pass, raced down court to the right baseline, rose up and hit a 15-footer that would’ve given his team the win…had video review not shown that it was still on his fingertips as time expired. The Buffs kept it close on the back of TO’s (18-5) & OR’s (12-7), as BHSU out-shot them 56-36% from the floor. The Buffs were out-rebounded overall 35-27 thanks to those shooting percentages. Neither team led by more than 7p on the night.
- BHSU – Joel Scott 25p, 14r; PJ Hayes 14p
- WT A&M – Damion Thornton 29p; Larry Wise 19p