March 15, 2008

Point Lookout, Mo. - 11^th seed Oregon Tech completes the quarterfinal field as they defeat sixth seed Evangel (Mo.), 72-63, in the final game of the second round at the 2008 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 17^th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.). 

Both teams went on huge runs in the first half. Oregon Tech sprinted out of the gate, scoring the first 15 points of the game and then Evangel outscored the Hustlin Owls 19-5 to tie the game at 22. Oregon Tech held a slim lead, 27-26, at intermission.

With the score tied in the second half at 32, Evangel went on a 7-0 run to pull ahead 39-32, their biggest lead of the game. Oregon Tech came back and took the lead for good with 10:24 left in the game, 43-41. They extended their advantage to eight and made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Ryan Fiegi led a balanced scoring attack with 19 points. Josh Wetzler recorded a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds. Jguwon Hogges and Ryan Beesley both added 10 points. The Hustlin Owls shot 48% for the game and held a slim 42-38 advantage on the glass.

Evangel was led by Tim Dial who scored 22 points in his final game for the Crusaders. The senior made 11-of-16 field goal attempts and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Shane Nicholson added 18 points while Jackson Capel was the third Evangel player in double figures with 10. The Crusaders had a tough shooting night, just 41% from the floor and made only 1-of-7 free throw attempts. Evangel ends their season with a 28-7 record.

Oregon Tech moves on with a 28-6 overall record and will play unseeded Grace (Ind.) tomorrow night at 8:00 pm. The 32-team, single-elimination tournament concludes on Tuesday, March 18.