March 17, 2006

Kansas City, Mo. - Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship with an 85-73 victory Friday against Southern Polytechnic (Ga.) at Municipal Auditorium.

Sophomore forward Lloyd Lewis led the way with 28 points, 13 rebounds and five steals as the Blue Raiders earned a trip the NAIA Elite Eight for the second time in the last three years. Lindsey Wilson is now 24-9 on the year and will face Oklahoma City University or Houston Baptist University Saturday at 6 p.m. CST in a quarterfinal contest.

Lindsey Wilson outscored Southern Poly 26-8 in the first 14 minutes of play and increased its lead to 33-16 at the half. The Blue Raiders continued to build its lead in the second half, thanks in part to shooting 54.5 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Southern Poly put together a late comeback bid, chipping a 25-point deficit down to 80-71 on a field goal by senior forward Dominique Holmes with 1:06 remaining. But the Blue Raiders quickly regained a double-digit lead and held on for the win.

Senior guard Scott Cook added 22 points, four assists and three steals for Lindsey Wilson, while senior forward Stephen Russell and junior center Anthony Labka each connected for 11 points. Russell also grabbed 11 rebounds for the Blue Raiders.

Holmes closed out his career at Southern Poly with a team-high 18 points along with eight rebounds. Senior forward Mark Reece posted 17 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Darnell Richardson added 12 points and three steals. Southern Poly, which upset No. 2 seed Louisiana State University-Shreveport in Wednesday's first-round action, ends its year with a record of 22-11.