March 16, 2007

Kansas City, Mo. - Crichton College (Tenn.) held off a late charge by Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) to record a 73-70 victory Friday in the second round of the 2007 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

 

The Comets had to withstand a trio of potential game-tying three-point shots by the Senators to reach the NAIA quarterfinal round for the first time in the program's history. Crichton, the No. 9 seed in the tournament, posted its 15^th straight win to move to 28-7. The Comets will play on Saturday at 2 p.m. CDT against either top-seeded Robert Morris College (Ill.) or No. 16 Oklahoma Baptist University.

 

Auburn Montgomery saw its 13-game win streak come to an end. The Senators, the No. 8 seed, close their season with a record of 27-5.

 

Crichton led 71-68 in the final moments when junior forward Chris Taylor scored with 1:23 remaining to bring Auburn Montgomery within 71-70. The Comets scored on their next possession when junior forward Stanley Brownlee scored in the lane with 26 seconds left to push the Crichton lead to three. After missing a three-point try and getting the offensive rebound with 11 seconds on the clock, Auburn Montgomery called time out to set up a final play. The Senators were off the mark on two more three-point attempts in the closing seconds and Crichton escaped with the win.

 

Junior center Jonathan Bohanna led Crichton with 19 points, while senior forward DeShawn Danzey chipped in with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior forward Sylvania Watkins added 16 points, and Brownlee contributed 15 points for the Comets.

 

Senior guard Montrelle Crittendon led all scorers with 23 points for Auburn Montgomery, while sophomore guard Ronnie Hickman connected for 18 points. Junior forward Robert Johnson grabbed a team-best nine rebounds for the Senators.