March 21, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Junior guard Brian Hill scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, recording his fourth double-double this season to lead Oklahoma Baptist to an 89-79 victory against No. 3 Lambuth (Tenn.) in the second round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

It's the 47th win for the Bison all-time in the NAIA National Championship. OBU is tied with Georgetown (Ky.), who plays today at 4:30 p.m., for the top spot in all-time wins.

After Youssoupha Sene put Lambuth up 2-0 on the opening possession, Oklahoma Baptist put together an 11-0 run and never trailed again. Brent Jones scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the first half as the Bison shot 51.7 percent from the field to lead the Tigers 40-30 at intermission.

The Bison shot 50 percent (nine-of-18) from beyond the three-point line and 53.7 percent (29-of-54) from the field. Evan Grace scored 22 points and Al Moore contributed another 13 as the Bison had four of their five starters score in double figures. Moore also recorded a season-high seven assists.

Kierren Lovick led Lambuth with 18 points and six rebounds off the bench. Jeremy Weddle scored 16 points and Corey Webster added 14.

The Bison meet the winner of No. 11 McKendree (Ill.) and unseeded Campbellsville (Ky.) at 4 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals. Oklahoma Baptist is making its fifth quarterfinal appearance since 2001.

-  NAIA -
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the governing body for athletics programs at its nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission of the NAIA is to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics. The association offers equitable access and opportunities for participation in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.

Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association's innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves.