March 21, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Campbellsville (Ky.) advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history after defeating No. 11 McKendree (Ill.) 80-64 in the second round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

Campbellsville improves to 25-9 and plays Oklahoma Baptist Saturday at 4 p.m. McKendree ends its season at 27-7.

The Tigers scored on its first four possessions, taking an 11-4 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Bearcats came within two points off of a Brad Copelin field goal and three free throws from T.J. Stone, but a 14-0 run put Campbellsville up 25-9 with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Campbellsville ended the first half with nine three-pointers, with Bubba Long scoring four. Long led all players at halftime with 14 points, followed by teammate Nestor Colmenares with 10. Copelin led McKendree with 10 points at half.

The Tigers led by as much as 27 points early in the second half and never allowed McKendree within 10 points throughout the final 34 minutes.

Colmenares scored a game-high 26 points and recorded 11 rebounds for his 17th double-double this season. He's scored 20 or more points in the last three games.

Eric Hobbie scored 20 points to lead McKendree and grabbed 11 rebounds for his third straight double-double. The freshman ended his season with 501 points.

- 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.