March 11, 2006

No. 8 seed Lindenwood University (Mo.) battled back from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half to post a 95-86 win over No. 16 seed Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) University 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 Cougars of Mt. Vernon Nazarene controlled play for the majority of the first half, built a 40-27 lead, and led 47-39 at the half. They pushed the lead back to 10 (51-41) early in the second half, but then Lindenwood's Justin Shrake took over. The 6-3 senior sparked a Lion comeback that erased the deficit and gave Lindenwood a 71-68 lead. That lead grew to as many as 11 down the stretch.

Shrake scored all of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He was 5 of 10 from long range. Johnny Viehland added 22 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, and Dustin Bevard chipped in with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Brooks Williams and Ryan Brown added 16 and 10 points respectively for the Lions, who are playing in their second national tournament. Lindenwood shot 59% from the field in the second half and 51% for the game. They outrebounded the Cougars, 41-24.

Mark Hess led the Cougars with 19 points, Ryan Seesholtz and Andrew Thompson poured in 14 each, and Ben Falkenberg contributed 11 points off the bench. Alan Bock finished with a team-high seven assists for the Cougars, making their fifth tournament appearance. They had knocked off tournament #1 seed Embry-Riddle, 84-78, in the second round. They finish the season with a record of 27-9.

Lindenwood (26-9) advances to the semifinal round on Monday at 8 p.m. where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between #5 Mayville State (N.D.) and #4 College of the Ozarks (Mo.). The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 14.

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