Semifinal pairings take shape at NAIA men’s, women’s basketball tournaments in KC, Iowa

The semifinal matchups for the 2021 NAIA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are nearly set as Saturday’s championships continue in Kansas City and Sioux City, Iowa.

In the men’s Elite Eight at KC’s Municipal Auditorium, James Jones scored 31 points as Shawnee State (Ohio) beat Jamestown (N.D.) 76-65; Jalan Mull had 22 points with 12 rebounds and led five Cougars in double-figure scoring as Saint Francis (Ind.) beat Bethel (Ind.) 89-81; and Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) beat Loyola (La.) 75-70 in overtime.

Zach Wrightsil of Loyola, a school in New Orleans, scored a game-high 27 points .

SAGU (Texas) beat Carroll (Mont.) 73-65 in Saturday’s last men’s quarterfinal.

In the women’s Elite Eight on Saturday at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center, Thomas More (Ky.) got even scoring down the lineup to beat Dakota State (S.D.) 72-47 and Westmont (Calif.) routed Clarke of Iowa 90-68.

Three Westmont players eclipsed 20 points: Iyree Jarrett with 25, Stefanie Berberabe with 23 and Lauren Tsuneishi with 22.

Indiana Wesleyan topped Campbellsville (Ky.) 65-53, and in the last quarterfinal of the night Iowa’s Morningside rolled past Concordia of Nebraska 83-67.

Morningside will square off against Thomas More in the 6 p.m. semifinal game Monday, and in the nightcap it will be Westmont against Indian Wesleyan.

NAIA MEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

At Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium

SWEET 16 GAMES

Naismith Bracket

9. Saint Francis (Ind.) 69, 8. Stillman (Ala.) 67

16. Bethel (Ind.) 83, 1. Indiana Wesleyan 77

Cramer Bracket

5. Shawnee St. (Ohio) 69, 12. Bethel (Kan.) 59

13. Jamestown (N.D.) 88, 3. Faulkner (Ala.) 83

Duer Bracket

11. Loyola (La.) 69, 6. Marian (Ind.) 62

3. Lewis-Clark St. (Idaho) 86, 14. Oklahoma Wesleyan 72

Liston Bracket

7. SAGU (Texas) 90, 10. Morningside (Iowa) 85

15. Carroll (Mont.) 85, 2. William Penn (Iowa) 62

Quarterfinals, Saturday

Shawnee St. 76, Jamestown 65

Saint Francis 89, Bethel (Ind.) 81

Lewis-Clark St. 75, Loyola 70

SAGU 73, Carroll 65

Semifinals, Monday

Shawnee St. vs. Saint Francis, 6 p.m.

Lewis-Clark St. vs. SAGU, 8 p.m.

Championship game: Tuesday at 7 p.m.

NAIA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

At Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center

SWEET 16 GAMES

1. Thomas More (Ky.) 71, 16. Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 51

9. Dakota State (S.D.) 91, 8. Sterling (Kan.) 77

2. Westmont (Calif.) 66, 15. Lyon (Ark.), 60

7. Clarke (Iowa) 63, 10. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 60.

3. Campbellsville (Ky.) 69, 14. Lewis-Clarke St. (Idaho) 53

11. Indiana Wesleyan 83, 6. Southeastern (Fla.) 70

13. Concordia (Neb.) 73, 4. Marian (Ind.) 67

5. Morningside (Iowa) 53, 12. St. Francis (Ill.) 42

Quarterfinals, Saturday

Thomas More 72, Dakota St. 47

Westmont 90, Clarke 68

Indiana Wesleyan 65, Campbellsville 53

Morningside 83, Concordia 67

Semifinals: Monday at 6 and 8 p.m.

Championship game: Tuesday at 7 p.m.

This story was originally published March 20, 2021 at 7:43 PM.