*** NAIA DIVISION TWO ***
DAY TWO – GAME ONE – A one seed fell in this game that was the shocker of the day yesterday! The 8th seeded YORK (NE) COLLEGE PANTHERS took on the top seeded UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IL) FIGHTING SAINTS and put them on Upset Alert with a 42-42 Halftime tie. After the break the Panthers went on to win this game for the ages by a final score of 87-79. Cameron Coleman led York College with 22 points.
DAY TWO – GAME TWO – The 3 seeds – the NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY BEACONS – faced the 6th seeded SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS. The Beacons methodically established dominance in the game, compiling a 35-28 advantage by the break and following up on that in the 2nd Half for an 84-69 victory. The Beacons were led by Austin Kuemper with 22 points.
DAY TWO – GAME THREE – A 2 seed went down to defeat in this game as the 7th seeded INDIANA UNIVERSITY- EAST RED WOLVES stunned the 2nd seeded TABOR COLLEGE BLUE JAYS. The Red Wolves defied the prognosticators by seizing a 45-28 lead by the Half and then expanded that lead over the Blue Jays, culminating in a 91-68 blowout win. IU-East’s Vasha Davis tossed in 25 points to lead the Red Wolves.
DAY TWO – GAME FOUR – This game’s 2 seed took care of business. Those 2nd seeded INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS took the court against the 7 seeds – the BELLEVUE (NE) BRUINS. The outcome was never really in doubt as the Wildcats flew out to a 56-34 Halftime lead and parlayed that into a Century Club- level 113-81 manhandling. Aaron Murray led the victors with 20 points.
DAY TWO – GAME FIVE – An Instant Classic came next. The 4 seeds – the BETHEL (IN) COLLEGE PILOTS (Riverboat Pilots) – played the 5th seeded ROBERT MORRIS (IL) EAGLES. The Pilots trailed the Eagles by a Halftime score of 42-38 but came steaming out of the locker room for an 85-80 comeback win. Bethel College’s Clay Yeo led the way for the Pilots with 21 points.
DAY TWO – GAME SIX – The top seeded BRIAR CLIFF UNIVERSITY CHARGERS faced the 8 seeds – the WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY SHOCK. The Chargers were in control early on and converted a 41-28 advantage at the midpoint into an 81-61 triumph. EVERY single player for Briar Cliff University scored, with Erich Erdman’s 13 points leading the Chargers in this team effort.
DAY TWO – GAME SEVEN – This game saw the 5th seeded DAKOTA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY TIGERS do battle with the 4 seeds – the INDIANA TECH WARRIORS. The Tigers led the Warriors 39-34 at Halftime but Indiana Tech came charging back in the 2nd Half to force Overtime with a 79-79 tie. In the extra session Dakota Wesleyan outscored the Warriors 14-10 for a 93-89 win. Trae Bergh was the top Tiger with a Double- Double of FORTY points and 10 rebounds.
DAY TWO – GAME EIGHT – The 6th seeded VALLEY CITY STATE VIKINGS were Comeback Kids yesterday in their game against the 3rd seeded TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS. Despite trailing the Bulldogs at the break by a score of 36-27 the Vikings displayed true Ragnar Lothbrok spirit. Soldiering on they managed a 65-64 upset victory to move on to the next round. Valley City State’s Darryl Howell notched 21 points for his team.
*** NCCAA DIVISION TWO ***
FINAL FOUR – FIRST BERTH – The 4 seeds – the NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY RAMS – collided with the 5th seeded ARLINGTON BAPTIST COLLEGE PATRIOTS. The Rams trailed the Patriots at the midpoint by the dispiriting score of 48-25 but they refused to give up. In the 2nd Half North Central University outscored Arlington Baptist College by an unbelievable SEVENTY-TWO to forty-nine, forcing Overtime with a 97-97 tie. In the extra session the Rams won it 117-108. Jared High’s 39 points were the most for the victors.
FINAL FOUR – SECOND BERTH – The battle for this berth in the 2016 Final Four was waged between the top seeded HILLSDALE FREE WILL BAPTIST COLLEGE SAINTS and the 8 seeds – the JOHNSON BIBLE COLLEGE PREACHERS. A very explosive opening Half ended with the Saints leading the Preachers 57-53. After the break Hillsdale was able to maintain that offensive intensity but JBC was not. The Saints won by a Century Club- level score of 109-92. Xavier Hunter led Hillsdale with 25 points.
FINAL FOUR – THIRD BERTH – In this game the 3 seeds – the GRACE BIBLE COLLEGE TIGERS – slugged it out with the 6th seeded UNIVERSITY OF VALLEY FORGE PATRIOTS. The Tigers grabbed and then methodically built on a lead, putting them on top of the Patriots 39-26 at Halftime. The University of Valley Forge kept things closer in the 2nd Half but ultimately the Tigers won the game 78-62. Jared Bradford was the top scorer for Grace Bible College with 17 points.
FINAL FOUR – LAST BERTH – Fencing and maneuvering for this last Final Four berth were the 2nd seeded MANHATTAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE THUNDER and the 7 seeds – the PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE EAGLES. The Thunder played some of their best defense of the season and led the Eagles 33-22 at the break. They kept Pensacola Christian College at arm’s length during the rest of the game and went on to win it by a score of 71-59. Manhattan Christian College’s Mike White led the Thunder with a Double- Double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
*** NJCAA DIVISION THREE ***
DAY ONE – GAME ONE – The 3 seeds – the DAVIDSON COUNTY COLLEGE STORM – went up against the 6th seeded MOHAWK VALLEY COLLEGE HAWKS to start Day One action in this Division of the NJCAA. The Storm fought back from a 32-26 Halftime deficit to defeat the Hawks in a 73-71 Instant Classic. Markeise Crutchfield led the victors with 15 points and 8 rebounds.
DAY ONE – GAME TWO – Up next was a battle between the 2nd seeded ROCHESTER TECHNICAL COLLEGE YELLOW JACKETS and the 7 seeds – the COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA COLONIALS. Smothering defense was the key to the Rochester Tech win as the Yellow Jackets led the Colonials 33-21 at the break enroute to a 65-52 triumph. Demetrius Cady for Rochester Tech had 17 points to lead his team.
DAY ONE – GAME THREE – The 4th seeded NASSAU COLLEGE LIONS took the court against the 5 seeds – the EASTFIELD COLLEGE HARVESTERS. When Halftime rolled around in this clash of closely matched teams the Lions were up on the Harvesters by a tally of 39-31. The 2nd Half went pretty much the same way, culminating in a 97-86 win for Nassau College. The Lions were led to victory by Marc Campbell who contributed 26 points.
DAY ONE – GAME FOUR – The day ended with a 1 seed versus 8 seed game which went pretty much as expected. The top seeded ROCK VALLEY COLLEGE GOLDEN EAGLES were playing the 8th seeded BUNKER HILL COLLEGE BULLDOGS. The Golden Eagles were in charge from start to finish in this affair. They were leading the Bulldogs at the midpoint by a score of 41-32 and from there coasted to an 81-66 win. Dalton Payton of Rock Valley College put up 26 points.
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