March 11, 2006

No. 3 seed Walsh University (Ohio) had its hopes of a repeat title dashed in a 74-68 loss to unseeded MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in the quarterfinal round of the 15th Annual NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 2006 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

The defending champion Cavaliers looked to be in control early in the contest behind the spirited play of Brandon Weems, who scored 13 points in the game's early minutes to stake Walsh to a 30-17 lead. But the Pioneers used a 14-2 run to pull within one and trailed 34-31 at the half.

Walsh regained some of their momentum by the midway point of the second half and stretched the advantage back to seven (51-44) with 9:46 remaining, but the Pioneers responded with a 9-2 run to take a 53-52 lead with 6:45 left. They upped the lead to 61-57 and answered every Walsh attempt to regain control. Key free throws down the stretch clinched it for the Pioneers.

Jacob Nellor led MidAmerica with 19 points and Danny Hawkins chipped in with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Adam Kepker (16) also reached double figures in scoring for the Pioneers, who shot 57% for the game, including a phenomenal 70% performance in the second half. Akulen Wour had a well-balanced game with eight points, six rebounds, and a tournament high seven blocked shots.

Jason Hicks led the Cavaliers with 21 points, Eder Araujo added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Brandon Weems finished with 13 points. Walsh shot 44% from the field but converted just 16 of 24 free throw attempts and was outrebounded, 32-20. Walsh, looking to be the first team to repeat as champions since Bethel (Ind.) in 1997 and 1998, ends the season with a record of 27-7.

MidAmerica, making its 11th tournament appearance and eighth straight, improves to 25-10 and advances to the semifinal round on Monday at 6 p.m. The Pioneers will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between #2 Huntington (Ind.) and #10 Morningside (Iowa). The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 14.

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