NAIA men’s hoops: See scores from Wednesday’s quarterfinals at Municipal Auditorium
Overall No. 1 seed College of Idaho became the first NAIA men’s basketball team to reach the 2023 national semifinals on Wednesday, beating Tougaloo of Mississippi 77-73 in the annual championship tournament at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
The Yotes were up by 20 at halftime, 43-23. Tougaloo outscored the eventual victors 50-34 in the second half but couldn’t quite complete the rally.
It was the second loss of the season/postseason for Tougaloo (31-2), while the College of Idaho improved to 34-1 entering Friday’s final-four round.
College of Idaho guard Jake O’Neil led all scorers with 20 points; Charles Elzie added 11. Cameron Copeland and Antonio Patterson scored 17 apiece for Tougaloo, which attempted 24 three-pointers and made just three.
In other games Wednesday:
Ottawa University of Arizona 76, Montana Tech 58: Clinging to a slim 30-29 advantage at halftime, the OUAZ squad coached by former MidAmerica Nazarene standout Matt Keeley turned it on in the second half and advanced to the first NAIA semifinal in the six-year history of the program.
Senior forward Josiah De’laCerda led the way for the seventh-seeded Spirit with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Senior guard Kolten Hitt added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Perhaps most importantly, though, OUAZ (25-9) held Montana Tech (29-5) to 31.7% shooting from the field and just 19% from three-point range.
Camdyn Larance led Montana Tech with 16 points; Asa Williams added 15.
Georgetown (Kentucky) 92, Grace (Indiana) 85: Senior guard Jake Ohmer poured in 33 points as Georgetown, seeking its fourth national title, held off another former NAIA champion down the stretch.
The game was close throughout, with Georgetown (30-5) leading 45-43 at intermission. Grace (31-4) pulled to within four points (84-80) with 1:42 remaining, but Tigers hit their free throws down the stretch.
Ohmer was tough beyond the arc, sinking seven of 12 three-point attempts. Kyran Jones added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Tae Dozier chipped in 18 points for Georgetown, which advances to Friday’s semifinals with the victory.
Cade Gibbs and Elijah Malone scored 15 apiece to lead six Grace players in double figures.
Indiana Tech 67, Arizona Christian 64: The final game of the day was close throughout, with Indiana Tech holding a 35-34 lead at the midway point and winning by just three.
Blake Davison put in 20 points and Josh Kline added 12 for the Warriors (31-4), who will meet Georgetown in Friday’s semifinals after a day off Thursday for all final four teams.
Angelo Johnson and Bryce Davis scored 13 apiece for Arizona Christian (27-6); Trent Hudgens added 11. Indiana Tech outrebounded the Firestorm 42-26.
Here are Friday’s semifinal tip times:
- OUAZ vs. College of Idaho, 5 p.m.
- Georgetown vs. Indiana Tech, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 3:04 PM.