Salem University Captures Men's Division I Championship-Mar 17, 2023
Justin Tene (6'8''-C-1998) scored 16 points and had nine rebounds to lead three in double figures on Thursday as the Salem Tigers defeated the Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo Bobcats 76-59 for the 2023 USCAA Men's Division I National Championship at Virginia State University. Salem (19-12) jumped out to a 15-4 lead at the 13:02 mark after a pair of Ian Hardy free throws. That advantage grew to 22-9 following a Kapone Barley free throw with 8:41 left in the half. A Rodney Smith layup gave the Tigers their largest lead of the half at 35-18 with 1:41 on the clock. In the second half, Salem pushed the lead to 24 points as Stan Smith (6'3''-G) drained a 3-pointer at the 15:04 mark for a 50-26 lead. Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo (19-8) cut the lead to 10 at 63-53 with on a 3-ball from Sam Dorrisant with 4:23 left. That was as close as the Bobcats got. On the day, Salem was 27-of-56 from the floor (48.2%), hit 6-of-19 from 3-point range (31.6%) and 16-of-20 from the foul line (80%). They outrebounded Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo 47-25 as Tene paced them with nine. Joining him in double figures were Rodney Smith with 15 and Stan Smith with 11. For Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo, DJ Little scored a game-high 22 points and Armonee Felder added 10 off the bench. The Bobcats were 21-of-61 from the floor (34.4%), 6-of-23 from 3-point range (26.1%) and 11-of-13 from the line (84.6%). Little added six steals, while Kalon Kimble had a team high five rebounds.
All-Tournament Team Apprentice School - Sr., G, Shawn Eley (6'4''-G/F) Bryant & Stratton Buffalo - Sr., G, Sam Dorrisant Bryant & Stratton Buffalo - Sr., G, DJ Little Salem - Gr., G, Riley Heatherington (6'7''-F) Salem - Gr., C, Justin Tene
Tournament MVP: Salem, Jr., G, Stan Smith Courtesy of: uscaabasketball.prestosports.com
USCAA Division I All-Tournament Awards 2023-Mar 17, 2023
USCAA Division I All-Americans Awards 2023-Mar 17, 2023
Player of the Year: D.J. Little (6'3''-G) of B&S Buffalo Student Athlete of the Year: Devin Rankin (G) of SE Illinois JC Coach of the Year: Evan Kee of Apprentice
Penn State Wilkes-Barre Captures Men's D2 Title-Mar 17, 2023
Penn State Wilkes Barre went on a 20-6 run over an eight-minute span of the second half and used free throws in the final minute to hold off Miami-Hamilton 55-50 in the 2023 USCAA Men's Division II National Championship game Thursday night at Virginia State University. The Nittany Lions used a 6-0 spurt to close the first half as Allen Ozojie converted a three-point play with four seconds left as Penn State Wilkes Barre trailed 27-22. Miami-Hamilton opened the second half with a bucket from Jamison Bradley (6'2''-F, college: Owens CC) to take a 29-22 lead at the 19:22 mark. The Harriers advantage was 35-30 following a Josh Scantland jumper with 16:11 remaining. Penn State Wilkes Barre ripped off the next 12 points to lead 42-35 after a Jaymes Jackson (6'7''-F) jumper with 10:54 left. The Harriers had one last run in them trimming the deficit to 50-47 after a Josh Scantland layup with 85 seconds left. Allen Ozojie hit a free throw with 57 seconds, then Jalen Willis (6'3''-F) hit one with 42 seconds to go back up 52-47. Miami-Hamilton's Ryan Marchal (5'9''-PG, college: Clark St. CC) drained a 3-ball with 34 seconds left to make it 52-50, but Marc Emile hit one free throw and Jalen Willis hit a pair with five seconds left for the final margin. Bradley paced Miami-Hamilton (22-9) with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Marchal and Aidan Turner added nine apiece. Penn State Wilkes-Barre (25-8) was led by Anthony Picott (6'4''-G, college: NW Kansa Tech) with 23 points and Ozojie with 12 off the bench.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Great Bay CC, Fr., G, Kingsley Breen Miami-Hamilton, Jr., G, Ryan Marchal Miami-Hamilton, Sr., F, Jamison Bradley Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Sr., F, Jaymes Jackson Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Jr., G, Jalen Willis Tournament MVP: Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Sr., G, Anthony Picott Courtesy of: basketball.theuscaa.com
USCAA Division II All-Americans Awards 2023-Mar 17, 2023
Player of the Year: Bryce Barrouk (6'4''-G/F) of PS Brandywine Student Athlete of the Year: Ryan Luzzi (5'11''-PG) of Paul Smiths Coach of the Year: Alex Burt of Great Bay
Pilots outlast Golden Bears to win NCCAA National Championship-Mar 18, 2023
Winona Lake, IN --- For the first time in 16 years and the eighth time in program history, the Bethel University men's basketball team is once again a National Champion, outlasting the Clinton College Golden Bears 78-72 to claim the 2023 NCCAA National Championship.
To say the Pilots had to overcome some adversity on this championship run would be a wild understatement. Bethel, already playing with a decimated roster, would go into this championship game not knowing if All-American Drew Lutz (6'1''-G-2000) would return from an injury that kept him out of the second half of Thursday's semifinal game. And while Lutz did indeed return, the Pilots would go into this title game without their second-leading scorer Nathan Aerts (6'6''-F). With the loss of Aerts, Bethel had just nine players dressed for the game and many unanswered questions about who would step up.
But those questions were answered early on when the depleted Pilots, in desperate need of a spark of revival, found the Life-Support they needed, this time in the heroics of senior guard Life Granville, who willed his team to victory with a legendary performance in his final collegiate game. Granville was simply amazing, recording career highs in points (15), rebounds (13), and minutes played (34), all the while outworking his opponents and helping to carry his teammates to a national title.
While Granville was playing superhero, Lutz was beaten, battered, and bruised by the Golden Bears throughout the game. Not knowing if he would even play in the game, Lutz never left the floor, playing all 40 minutes. But his relentless attack never stopped, finishing the game with 35 points and six assists. The senior guard from Granger, IN, connected on 5 of 10 three-pointers and hit 10 of 11 from the charity stripe, many of which came down the stretch to ice the game in the final moments.
Freshman forward Alonis Peciulis continued his late-season dominance with his 5th straight double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. While Brandon Hunt (6'9''-F) chipped in 8 points and seven rebounds, and Trent Edwards added 7 points and four rebounds.
The game was a close-knit affair, with no team ever having more than a two-possession lead. Bethel jumped out to a 6 -0 run to start the game, and after trailing briefly, the Pilots regained the lead and held a 4-point cushion at the break, 34-30. The Golden Bears never wavered, though, grabbing another brief lead 54-53 at the 10:31 mark of the second half before a jumper by Lutz gave the Pilots a lead they would never relinquish.
"This was a great way to finish the year," said Pilot Head Coach Steve Drabyn . "I am so proud of our players for sticking with it despite having Nathan Aerts out. It is a testament to their toughness and togetherness during this tourney. Drew Lutz played a smart game, picking his spots well and making big plays. Al Peciulis and Life Granville having double-doubles for us were huge. I thought Trent Edwards took a lot of pressure off Drew handling the ball and made some big defensive plays. This is a great springboard into next year for these players coming back. This National Title means a lot because of what it stands for, with Christ being the center of the tourney," added Drabyn.
Drew Lutz was awarded the NCCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honor with the national NCCAA honors to be announced soon.
Courtesy of NCCAA
NCCAA Division I Awards 2023-Mar 27, 2023
NCCAA Division I Pete Maravich Award: Jacob Drees (6'7''-F-2000) of Cedarville NCCAA Division I Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Drew Lutz (6'1''-G-2000) of Bethel, IN NCCAA Division I National Coach of the Year: Matt Keeley of OUAZ NCCAA Division I Player of the Year: Drew Lutz (6'1''-G-2000) of Bethel, IN
Kansas Christian College Captures 2023 DII Men's Basketball National Championship-Mar 17, 2023
Joplin, MO: Kansas Cristian College (KCC) captured its first-ever Division II Men's Basketball National Championship after defeating No. 2 Manhattan Christian College 98-73. The Falcons went into the halftime break with a commanding 45-24 lead over Manhattan and never looked back. The Falcon's largest lead came at the 16:03 mark when they were up 32. Five Falcons were in double figures with Boog Lewis leading the way with 28 points. Jamal Clark (6'0''-PG) had a monster game tallying 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to record a triple-double and help clinch the title. The No. 1 seeded Falcons opened the tournament with a 94-81 first round win over No. 8 Toccoa Falls College where five Falcons were once again in double figures. Jay Washington (5'10''-PG) led the way with 24 points and 5 rebounds, while Elazar Conley (6'4''-F) recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. KCC then defeated No. 5 Great Lakes Christian College, 84-69, in a semifinal matchup. Clark scored a game-high 27 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while teammates Conley (20pts, 10rebs) and Brooks (10pts, 12rebs) finished with double-doubles. The Falcons' Jamal Clark was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Courtesy of thenccaa.org
NCCAA D2 Awards 2023-Mar 17, 2023
Player of the Year: Anthony Williams II (6'3''-SG) of Toccoa Falls Pete Maravich Award: Jordan White (6'1''-G) of Manhattan Chr. Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Jamal Clark (6'0''-PG) of Kansas Christian Coach of the Year: Greg Fawbush of Welch
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Jacob Drees (6'7''-F-2000) of Cedarville
Luiz Machado Jr. (6'6''-F) of SW Christian
