March 13, 2007

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - The 2007 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship game is set as #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) will face #13 Mayville State (N.D.) at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, March 13. The 2007 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championships are being held at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

#13 Mayville State (N.D.) defeated Northwest (Wash.), 74-65, in the first game of the semifinals. Northwest made the games first run, jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead. Mayville battled back and took their first lead at 16-15 with 11 minutes left to play. The Comets continued to lead until six straight points by the Eagles tied the score at 27. The two teams battled back and forth over the final minutes in the opening half with Northwest with a 35-34 lead heading into the locker room.

Just like the start of the first half, the Eagles jumped out early in the second behind a trio of three pointers to take a 10 point advantage (52-42). Mayville came back again and outscored Northwest 11-1 over the next three minutes to tie the score at 53. They continued to pull ahead and took their biggest lead with 3:03 left to go, 69-57 on a three pointer by Ron Howard. The Eagles made one last run and cut it to six (63-59) but Howard made four straight free throws to seal the victory for Mayville State.

Mayville State placed four players in double figures, led by Matthew Stenehjem and Ronald Howard with 16. Monty Rogers netted 12 and Scott Theis added 10 for the Comets. Mayville State shot 48% from the floor but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 20%.

Northwest was led by Aaron Sawyer with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Keller and Stephen Ishmael added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Both Ishmael and Axton dished out five assists. The Eagles came into the game shooting 53% from the field for the tournament but shot just 38% from the floor against Mayville State. Northwest, making their first ever national tournament appearance, ends their season with a 27-9 overall record.

The second game of the semifinal round featured a pair of teams rich in national tournament tradition. Both teams are making their 12th appearance at the Big Dance and combined for 43 wins. After an early four point Pioneer lead, Northwestern went on the game's first run to take command, 18-10 with 10 minutes left in the opening half. MidAmerica Nazarene came back and took the lead again, 20-19, after a 9-1 run keyed by a three pointer by both Brenton Bell and Ryan Rundberg. The game stayed tight for the next few minutes before an 18-4 run during the final four minutes of the first half gave the Pioneers their biggest lead, 42-27, heading to the locker room.

Facing their largest deficit of the tournament, Northwestern scored the first four points of the second half to cut the lead down to 11. The Pioneers answered back, however, and went back up by 17, 55-38, with 12 minutes to go. The Red Raiders were able to cut the deficit down to single digits on several occasions down the stretch, but MidAmerica Nazarene, behind some clutch free throw shooting, withstood the Northwestern charge and advance to their second ever championship game.

The Pioneers were led by junior guard Adam Hepker who scored 21 points before fouling out with five minutes to go. The HAAC Player-of-the-Year was 9/13 from the floor and also dished out five assists. Sophomore center Danny Hawkins recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Ryan Rundberg came off the bench to net 11 for the Pioneers. MidAmerica shot 50% from the field and held a 43-35 advantage on the boards against the Red Raiders, the top rebounding team in the tournament.

Northwestern was once again led by sophomore guard Kale Wiertzema who scored a game-high 27 points. He was 9/20 from the floor and 8/11 from the foul line. Chad Schuiteman recorded his fourth straight double-double and 22nd of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Mark DeYounge scored 10 off the bench before fouling out. Shooting a tournament best 56% from the floor coming into the game, Northwestern was held to just 37% from the floor by MidAmerica. Northwestern was making their ninth consecutive national tournament appearance and fourth trip to the Final Four since 2001. They end their season with a 26-9 record.

Tipoff for the championship game on Tuesday, March 13 is set for 8:30 pm.

Tuesday's Championship Game: #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) ( 33-2) vs. #13 Mayville State (N.D.) (27-8)

Monday's Final Four Games: # 13 Mayville State (N.D.) (27-8) def. #16 Northwest (Wash.) (27-9), 74-65 #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (33-2) def. #11 Northwestern (Iowa) (26-9), 81-71

Saturday Quarter-Final Games: #16 Northwest (Wash) (27-8) def. Cornerstone (Mich.) (25-10), 98-69. #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (32-2) def. #10 Indiana Wesleyan (30-5), 77-68 #11 Northwestern (Iowa) (26-8) def. College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (22-11), 73-57 #13 Mayville State (N.D.) (26-8) def. #12 Cedarville (Ohio) (23-8), 82-81

Friday Second Round Scores: Cornerstone (Mich.) (25-9) def. #8 Walsh (Ohio) (28-6), 78-56 #16 Northwest (Wash.) (26-8) def. #1 Bellevue (Neb.) (32-2), 61-56 #10 Indiana Wesleyan (30-4) def. #7 Oregon Tech (28-5), 95-82 #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (31-2) def. #15 Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) (25-7), 75-73 #11 Northwestern (Iowa) (25-8) def. #6 Kansas Wesleyan (28-4) vs, 74-54 College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (22-10) def. Spalding (Ky.) (20-14), 66-61 #12 Cedarville (Ohio) (23-7) def. #5 Warner Pacific (Ore.) (28-6), 86-75 #13 Mayville State (N.D.) (25-8) def. Florida Memorial (16-13), 88-72

Thursday First Round Scores: #10 Indiana Wesleyan (29-4) def. Aquinas (Mich.) (22-12), 80-54 #15 Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) (25-6) def. Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (24-8), 73-72 #7 Oregon Tech (28-4) def. Northwood (Fla.) (23-9), 90-72 #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (30-2) def. Trinity International (Ill.) (14-20), 69-59 #5 Warner Pacific (Ore.) (28-5) def. Friends (Kan.) (20-12), 82-75 Florida Memorial (16-12) def. #4 Huntington (Ind.) (29-5), 67-64 #12 Cedarville (Ohio) (22-7) def. Evangel (Mo.) (20-13), 97-83 #13 Mayville State (N.D.) (24-8) def. William Penn (Iowa) (25-9), 101-86

Wednesday First Round Scores: #8 Walsh (Ohio) (28-5) def. King (Tenn.) (23-11), 78-69 Cornerstone (Mich.) (24-9) def. #9 Sioux Falls (S.D.) (28-5), 74-60 #1 Bellevue (Neb.) (32-1) def. Fisher (Mass.) (13-18), 95-54 #16 Northwest (Wash.) (25-8) def. Holy Names (Calif.) (21-12), 86-74 #6 Kansas Wesleyan (28-3) def. Bluefield (Va.) (21-12), 92-77 Spalding (Ky.) (20-13) def. #3 Point Park (Pa.) (29-2), 78-63 Ozarks (Mo.) (21-10) def. #14 Saint Francis (Ind.) (22-11), 91-59 #11 Northwestern (Iowa) (24-8) def. Albertson (Idaho) (19-8), 99-77

TOURNAMENT LEADERBOARD

Leading Scorers: Monty Rogers (Mayville State) - 82 (4 gms) Ronald Howard (Mayville State) - 79 (4 gms) Danny Hawkings (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 76 (4 gms) Kale Wiertzema (Northwestern) - 72 (4 gms) Scott O'Gallagher (Warner Pacific)-69 (2 gms) Matthew Stenehjem (Mayville State) - 62 (4 gms) Guy Rathmell (Cedarville) - 60 (3 gms) Chartrea'l Hall (Spalding) - 58 (2 gms) Aaron Sawyer (Northwest) - 56 (4 gms) Michael Bonaparte (Ozarks) - 52 (3 gms)

Top Rebounders: Chad Schuiteman (Northwestern) - 52 (4 gms) Danny Hawkins (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 41 (4 gms) Aaron Sawyer (Northwest) - 38 (4 gms) Monty Rogers (Mayville State) - 31 (4 gms) Chartrea'l Hall (Spalding) - 29 (2 gms) Ricardo Alliman (Cedarville) - 27 (3 gms) Zach Coverstone (Indiana Wesleyan) - 26 (3 gms) Scott Thies (Mayville State) - 26 (4 gms) Akuien Wour (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 26 (4 gms) Guy Rathmell (Cedarville) - 24 (3 gms)

Day One Top Assists: Adam Hepker (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 23 (4 gms) Brandon Weems (Walsh) - 16 (2 gms) Marques Benjamin (Mayville State) - 16 (4 gms) Pat Cooper (Northwest) - 15 (4 gms) Stephen Ishmael (Northwest) - 15 (4 gms) Morgan Axton (Northwest) -- 14 (4 gms) Ronald Howard (Mayville State) - 14 (4 gms) Chad Schuiteman (Northwestern) - 12 (4 gms) Antonio Murrell (Indiana Wesleyan) - 12 (3 gms) Levell Hesia (Oregon Tech) - 11 (2 gms) Curt Schilling (Northwestern) - 11 (4 gms) Jake Nellor (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 11 (4 gms)

Tournament Double-Doubles Performances: Ryan Norman (William Penn) - 34 pts, 10 reb Michael Bonaparte (Ozarks) - 32 pts, 13 reb Chartea'l Hall (Spalding) - 31 pts, 13 reb Chartrea'l Hall (Spalding) - 27 pts, 16 reb Alex Kock (Huntington) - 26 pts,, 14 reb Omar Reed (Bluefield) - 26 pts, 10 reb Nick Stephens (Holy Names) - 23 pts,, 11 reb Cory McJimson (Northwood) - 23 pts, 10 reb Danny Hawkins (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 20 pts, 10 reb Ryan Seesholtz (Mount Vernon Nazarene) - 17 pts, 11 reb Chris Pullen (Ozarks) - 17 pts, 10 reb Chad Schuiteman (Northwestern) - 17 pts, 10 reb Chivas Whipple (Point Park) - 15 pts, 10 reb John Jonker (Cornerstone) - 14 pts, 12 reb Aaron Sawyer (Northwest) - 14 pts, 11 reb John Gray (Bellevue) - 12 pts, 11 reb Josh Dozier (Holy Names) - 11 pts, 15 reb Andre Thomas (Florida Memorial) - 10 pts, 11 reb Akuien Wour (MidAmerica Nazarene) - 11 pts, 11 reb Chad Schuiteman (Northwestern) - 11 pts, 12 reb Ricardo Alliman (Cedarville) - 14 pts, 10 reb Maical Venter (Cedarville) - 11 pts, 10 reb Monty Rogers (Mayville State) - 21 pts, 13 reb Chad Schuiteman (Northwestern) - 15 pts, 15 reb. Guy Rathmell (Cedarville) - 12 pts, 11 reb. Zach Coverstone (Indiana Wesleyan) - 13 pts, 11 reb. Aaron Sawyer (Northwest) - 18 pts, 11 reb Danny Hawkins (MidAmerica) - 18 pts, 15 reb Chad Schuiteman (Northwestern) -15 pts, 14 reb