March 17, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With the second round complete and the quarterfinal bracket set, three unseeded teams remain while the top two seeds in the tournament have survived into the Elite Eight at the 2007 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Kansas City's Historic Municipal Auditorium.

#9 Crichton (Tenn.) def. #8 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), 73-70

Crichton rallied from seven points down at the half to pull off the minor upset, 73-70, over Auburn Montgomery.  The Comets'defense stiffled the Senators in the second half holding the team from Alabama to just 21.2 % shooting from the field.   The loss snapped Auburn Montgomery's streak of 13 consecutive victories while the win extended Crichton's string to 15 straight. The Comets, now 28-7, put that 15-game mark on the line against undefeated #1 Robert Morris (Ill.) on Saturday in the quarterfinals, the program's first-ever Elite Eight appearance.

 

#1 Robert Morris (Ill.) def. #16 Oklahoma Baptist, 86-76 (OT)

Oklahoma Baptist did something no other team in the country had done this year, take top-seeded Robert Morris to overtime, but the undefeated Eagles were just too much for the Bison in extra time as they fell 86-76.  Trailling by one at the half after converting just 1of its 11 three point attempts, Robert Morris went 7-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second period to advance to its third straight quarterfinals.  Rated as the No. 1 team in the country in the preseason poll, the Comets have held onto to that title throughout its 31-0 campaign.  RMC faces #9 Crichton on Saturday for the chance to make a third straight semifinal.

 

#4 Concordia (Calif.) def. Campbellsville (Ky.), 83-72

Fourth-seeded Concordia led by as many as 18 points in the first period, but had to withstand a second-half comeback by Campbellsville before prevailing 83-72. The Eagles were up 57-42 with 13:48 to play in the game, but saw their advantage slip to just 61-59 in the next 5:02. Concordia answered with a 15-6 spurt to regain control and earn its first quarterfinal berth since 2004. The Eagles are 29-6 overall.

 

#12 Union (Tenn.) def. #5 Southern Nazarene (Okla.), 82-81

This second round match-up was a see-saw battle that included 14 ties and 5 lead changes but it was Union that found itself on top, 82-81, when the final horn blew.  Mack Bealim's 27 points paced the Bulldogs who took the lead for good with 6:23 left and managed to hold on despite an 11-3 Crimson Storm run ignited by Leroy Dawson with 36 seconds left.  Dawson led Southern with 29 points.  Now 25-9 on the season, Union advances to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1999.

 

#2 Oklahoma City def. #15 Illinois-Springfield, 90-78

Oklahoma City reached the quarterfinals for the third time in four years with a 90-78 victory over Illinois-Springfield. Despite shooting 62.1% from the field in the first half, the Stars found themselves ahead only 33-32 at the 4:47 mark of the period, but went on a 31-10 run over the next 11:44 to take a commanding 64-42 lead with 13:03 to go in the game. OCU, which was runner-up last year, is now 32-2 overall.

 

#10 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) def. #7 Park (Mo.), 91-88

Azusa Pacific earned its third straight trip to the Elite Eight by knocking off No. 7 Park 91-88. The Cougars, who led the entire contest, were up 86-73 with 3:53 to play, but were outscored 15-5 the rest of the way as Park missed a potential game-tying three pointer with two seconds remaining. APU, which is making its 12th-straight tourney appearance, has won its last six outings and is now 29-6 overall.

 

Northwestern Oklahoma def. Xavier (La.), 58-57

In a battle of unseeded teams, Northwestern Oklahoma edged Xavier 58-57 to earn its first-ever berth in the quarterfinals. The Rangers led by as many as 10 points in the second half, only to find themselves trailing 55-48 with just 3:31 to play. They closed the game with a 10-2 run, but dodged overtime as Xavier missed a potential game-tying free throw with three ticks on the clock. NWOSU is now 22-11 overall.

 

Faulkner (Ala.) def. McKendree (Ill.), 87-79

McKendree fell behind by double-digits midway through the first half, as Faulkner led 46-33 at the halftime bell. Faulkner maintained its double-digit lead until the games slipped under three to play, as McKendree cut the gap to two points with a three at the 0:54 mark. Faulkner pulled away in the end, however, earning the game's final eight points for the eight-point win. Jammie Evans led all scorers with 25 points for Faulkner and Richarde McCray had 23, while McKendree's Eric Palm led four in double-digits with 21 points.