March 14, 2008

College of the Ozarks (Mo.) recorded the third upset of the second round with a 65-42 victory over seventh seed Eastern Oregon in the 2008 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 42 points scored set a new tournament record, breaking the old mark of 44 set back in 2004 (King-Tenn.) and 2003 (Taylor-Ind.)The 17^th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.). 

The host Bobcats limited the Mountaineers to just one field goal over the final eight minutes of the first half to cut an 11-point deficit down to one, 24-23. Both teams struggled from the field as Ozarks shot 39% and Eastern Oregon made just 29% of their field goal attempts.

Ozarks scored the first three points of the second half, taking their first lead, 26-24. The Bobcat lead was five (35-30) when the hosts went on an 11-0 run to surge ahead, 46-30. The Ozarks defense held Eastern Oregon scoreless for nearly seven minutes during that stretch. The Bobcats never looked back and advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight year. They limited Eastern Oregon to just 18 points in the second half.

The Bobcats were led by Corey Stone who scored 19 points despite making just 2-of-9 three point attempts. Ozarks shot 40% for the game, 56% in the decisive second half. They forced the Mountaineers into 25 turnovers.

Eastern Oregon was led by senior Mark Carollo who closed his career with a game-high 24 points. His brother, Paul Carollo, tied a tournament record with 23 rebounds (Von Gilbert-Bethel in 1995). The Mountaineers were limited to just 29% from the field, 18% from the three point line.

Ozarks improves to 27-5 on the season and is the second MCAC team in the Elite Eight (Bellevue). They will play defending champion MidAmerica Nazarene tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. The 32-team, single-elimination tournament concludes on Tuesday, March 18.