March 19, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Wayland Baptist University (Texas) tipped off the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship with an 89-85 victory over Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Five different players scored in double figures as the unseeded Pioneers advanced to second round play. Wayland Baptist, now 20-12 on the season, will play Friday at 9 a.m. CST against either No. 5 seed Mountain State University (W.Va.) or Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.).

With the contest tied at 81-81 heading into the final minute, Wayland Baptist's Kris Hatley scored to put the Pioneers in front, 83-81. Michal Polanowski followed with a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to extend the lead to 85-81. Martin Methodist cut the margin to 85-83 with 27 seconds to go on an offensive rebound and basket by Eric Howard. The Pioneers pushed the lead back to 87-83 on two free throws by Jon Hurt before Mark Mangum brought the RedHawks back within 87-85 on a field goal by Mark Mangum with just over eight seconds on the clock.

Martin Methodist, the No. 12 seed in the tournament field, came up with a steal following the inbounds play, but missed the potential game-tying shot. Hurt was fouled again and sealed the victory for Wayland Baptist by making two more shots from the line.

Wayland Baptist shot 52.9 percent from the field (18-of-34) on its way to a 44-40 halftime lead. The Pioneers connected on 50.8 percent of their attempts for the game and held a slight edge in rebounding at 42-38. The game featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes.

Hurt led a balanced attack for the Pioneers with 15 points, including a 7-of-7 effort from the free throw line. Hatley and Jason Griffin each contributed 14 points, while B.J. Latham finished with 13 points. Tony Jones chipped in with 10 points, and Danny Storey grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for Wayland Baptist.

Kendaris Pelton poured in a game-high 24 points to lead the way for Martin Methodist, which wrapped up its season with an overall record of 25-8. Howard posted 14 points and seven assists, while Kevin Green had a double-double with 13 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.