March 14, 2008

Point Lookout, Mo. - Defending champion MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) advanced to their third straight Elite Eight as they defeated #15 Cedarville (Ohio), 79-73 in the second round of the 2008 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 17^th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.). 

Both teams held the lead in a very close first half. Trailing by one, MidAmerica Nazarene went on a 7-0 run to pull ahead in the second half, 46-40. Cedarville battled back to take the lead back but Ben Swinger hit a jumper in the lane with 10:32 left to play which gave the Pioneers the lead for good. The defending champions pulled away with another run late in the game and sealed the win by making 11-of-15 free throws down the stretch.

All-Americans Adam Hepker and Danny Hawkins led the second-seeded Pioneers with 29 and 28 points, respectively. Hawkins led the team with eight rebounds and Hepker dished out four assists.

Ryan Short led Cedarville with 23 points and nine rebounds. The senior guard shot 7-of-17 from the floor and closes his career with over 1,700 points. Both Christopher Walker and Ricardo Alliman scored 15 points while Alliman ripped down a game-high 14 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets held a 42-33 advantage on the glass but shot just 41% from the field.

MidAmerica Nazarene advances to the Elite Eight with a 30-4 overall record. The Pioneers will play either College of the Ozarks or Eastern Oregon on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 18.