Iowa's Graceland University wins first NAIA basketball title on OT buzzer-beater-Mar 21, 2018
The NCAA may have first dibs on 'One Shining Moment,' but
Graceland University made one unforgettable NAIA memory Tuesday
night. The Lamoni, Iowa, school won its first NAIA basketball
championship in its maiden tournament trip, asJustin Harley(6'6''-PF)'s
buzzer-beating overtime 3-pointer sent the Yellowjackets to an
83-80 triumph over LSU-Alexandria at Municipal Auditorium in
Kansas City, Mo. Senior point guardLT Davis(5'11''-PG)
(22 points) appeared to have designs on the final overtime shot
out of a timeout with 13 seconds remaining, but multiple
defenders for Alexandria (29-8) swarmed to the ball with 2
seconds to go. Davis passed to his right, finding Harley on the
wing for an open look. The 30-percent 3-point shooter connected
as the buzzer sounded, giving the fifth-seeded Yellowjackets
(29-10) a banner and a bit of history all their own. 'You saw a
leader, an individual poised enough to draw defense to kick to a
wide-open shooter,' Graceland coachCraig Dotysaid
afterward on the ESPN3 online broadcast. '… Justin didn't have
any time to think about it, and he nailed it.' Graceland had
plenty of time to bemoan a title that it should have won in
regulation and nearly lost in the final minute. The
Yellowjackets led 57-44 with just under 12 minutes to go in the
game, but an 11-0 LSUA run created a back-and-forth atmosphere
down the stretch in front of an Iowa-heavy crowd of 6,377, the
largest for the NAIA final since 2002. Alexandria took its first
lead since the 3:14 mark of the first half on a William
Claiborne lay-in with 2:44 to play. The advantage swelled to
70-66 on the last ofJordin Williams(6'3''-G)'
eight 3-pointers the next trip down the floor. Graceland,
though, later scored the final four points of the second half -
on two Davis free throws and a layup from by leading scorerWill Nelson(6'3''-SF)
(30 points) to force the extra session. Graceland president Pat
Draves said on the broadcast that alumni from across the region
drove and flew in to western Missouri for the Yellowjackets'
first championship opportunity. The school had a decided
advantage in fan support throughout the night and was especially
vocal down the stretch. 'Multiple buses, every Graceland vehicle
we owned had students in it (to get down to Kansas City),'
Draves said. In the overtime period, The Yellowjackets missed
the front end of three 1-and-1 free-throw opportunities and fell
behind 76-75 with 1:40 to play. Davis responded with a 3 to give
Graceland the lead back. The teams traded buckets inside, and
Williams wrapped up his 31-point night with a pair of free
throws to tie the game at 80-all with 18.5 seconds to go. From
there, Doty called a timeout to set up the final sequence that
will be etched in southwest Iowa's memory for years to come.
'They prepared for it. They've done it together,' Doty said.
'They've done it as family. What a culmination.'
Courtesy of: desmoineregister.com
All-NAIA D1 Awards 2018-Mar
25, 2018
All-NAIA D1 1st Team 2018
Imhoff
Egejuru
Millinghaus
Williams
Clark
Player of the Year:Ryan Imhoff(6'6''-G)
of Carroll, MT
Championship MVP:LT Davis(5'11''-PG)
of Graceland
Championship Hustle Award:Dom Robinson(5'8''-PG)
of Montana-West
Coach of the Year:Craig Dotyof
Graceland
NABC-NAIA Coach of the Year:Kelvin Starrof
Master's
Indiana Wesleyan Wins 2018 National Championship-Mar
14, 2017
For the third time in five years, Indiana Wesleyan wins
the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National
Championship. The Wildcats held off a valiant comeback
by Crossroads League rival University of Saint Francis
(Ind.) to defeat the Cougars 84-71 in the 2018 title
game played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Freshman guardKyle Mangas(6'3''-G)
was sensational on the biggest stage, scoring 23 points
to go with four rebounds and three assists, on his way
to being named the championship's most outstanding
player.
Evan Maxwell, the Wildcats 6'10 big man, netted 20
points, including a clutch three-pointer to put his team
up six with just under four minutes left. Another
freshman,Grant Smith(6'6''-F),
contributed 11 of his 13 points in the second half,
scoring a key three-point play in the final minutes.
Indiana Wesleyan opened the second half with the first
six points to match its largest lead, 46-29, after two
free throws by Canaan Coffey. With the game in balance,
Saint Francis looked to seniors Derek Hinen, Evan Henry
and Bryce Lienhoop, who combined to score 17 of their
teams next 21 points in a 21-5 surge to cut the IWU lead
down to one, 51-50, at the 10:40 mark.
With Indiana Wesleyan still up one (62-61), Mangas and
Maxwell combined for all nine points of a 9-2 run that
put the Wildcats up by eight. Henry knocked down a
three-pointer for USF to get within five (73-68) but the
game would not get any closer. Following a timeout,
Smith converted a three-point play and IWU iced the game
from the free-throw line, going 8-for-8 over the final
1:15.
Indiana Wesleyan shot better than 50% in both halves,
finishing at 55% and 40% (8/20) from the three-point
line. Both Jacob Johnson (14) and Coffey (12) gave the
Wildcats five players in double figures.
Hinen scored a game-high 24 points to lead Saint
Francis, 19 coming in the second half. Lienhoop tallied
17 points and nine rebounds in his final game with the
Cougars, who shot 45% for the game.
Saint Francis held its last lead (15-13) after Chandler
White and Hinen hit back-to-back three-pointers with 12
minutes to go in the first half. Following a media
timeout, Indiana Wesleyan went on a 12-0 run, holding
the Cougars scoreless for over four minutes, to take the
lead for good.
A pair of three-pointers by Coffey and another by Mangas
keyed an 11-4 surge, putting IWU up 36-19, moments
later. USF was able to close the gap to 11 by halftime,
getting six points from Lienhoop over the final three
minutes.
Saint Francis ends the season with a 29-9 record and is
now 1-3 in championship games.
Indiana Wesleyan earned its fourth win of the season
over Saint Francis and closes the season with a 31-7
record. The Wildcats also won the title in 2014 and 2016
and are now tied with Cornerstone (Mich.) and Oregon
Tech for the most championships at the D-II event.
Courtesy of NAIA
NAIA D2 Final:84-71 Indiana
Wesleyan vs Saint Francis (Ind.)
NAIA D2 Semifinals:
75-72 Indiana Wesleyan vs IU East (Ind.)
70-59 Saint Francis (Ind.) vs College of Idaho
Championship MVP:Kyle Mangas(6'3''-G)
of Ind.Wesleyan
Championship Hustle Award:Ben Carlson(6'6''-F)
of Ind.Wesleyan
Coach of the Year:Greg Tonagelof
Ind.Wesleyan
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