Oregon Tech Takes on MidAmerica Nazarene in NAIA Men's Basketball Semifinal Game Tonight
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The NAIA’s defending champion is the only team standing in the way of Oregon Tech’s third trip to the national championship game.
The 11th-seeded Hustlin’ Owls, who reached tonight’s 6 p.m. PT semifinal against MidAmerica Nazarene with victories over Mount Vernon Nazarene, Evangel and Grace, now must slay the tournament’s No. 2 seed and a club that has been ranked No. 1 in the country for a sizable portion of the season. The game can be seen live on the Internet on a pay-per-view basis at
www.watchnaia.com.
Like OIT, MidAmerica Nazarene (31-4) is a program in familiar territory. The Pioneers are in the midst of their 10th consecutive tournament appearance and have reached the national semis for the third consecutive year. The Hustlin’ Owls have reached the final four for the fourth time, winning it all in 2004.
Based in Olathe, Kan., MidAmerica Nazarene is coached by Rocky Lamar, who has a 21-year record of 527-261. His top player is senior guard Adam Hepker, who came into the tourney averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 assists and shoots better than 56 percent from the floor. Junior forward Danny Hawkins, a 6-7, 225-pounder, came into the tournament ranked fourth in the country in rebounding (10.8). Hawkins is averaging a team-best 24 points per game in the NAIA tournament.
Tech (29-6) is led by senior guard/forward Ryan Fiegi, who is averaging 20.0 points per game in the tournament. Josh Wetzler, a 6-8 junior post, is averaging better than 10 rebounds per game in the tourney.
Tonight’s game matches the top two shooting teams in the tournament. MidAmerica Nazarene leads the 32-team tournament field in shooting percentage, hitting nearly 55 percent of its shots from the floor. Oregon Tech ranks No. 2, hitting nearly 53 percent from the field. The Pioneers rank eighth in the tournament field in 3-point field goal percentage (.410).
In the other semifinal, which tips off at 4 p.m. PT, top-seeded Bellevue (Neb.) takes on fifth-seeded Northwestern (Iowa).
The four teams remaining have combined for 16 trips to the semifinals and four national championships. Northwestern has won two titles (2001 and 2003), Oregon Tech won the championship in 2004 and MidAmerica Nazarene won the championship last year. Bellevue reached the championship in 2004 but fell to the Hustlin' Owls, 81-72. The championship game will be on Tuesday at 8:30 pm.
Monday's Final Four:
#5 Northwestern (Iowa)(30-4) vs #1 Bellevue (Neb.)(32-3) - 4 p.m. PT
#11 Oregon Tech (29-6) vs #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)(31-4) - 6 p.m. PT
Saturday's Elite Eight Games:
#1 Bellevue (Neb.)(32-3) def. #9 Bethel (Ind.)(29-7), 73-69
#5 Northwestern (Iowa)(30-4) def. #13 Northwood (Fla.)(27-8), 96-70
#2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)(31-4) def. #10 Ozarks (Mo.)(27-6), 70-58
#11 Oregon Tech (29-6) def. Grace (Ind.)(26-10), 81-70
Friday's Second Round Games:
#9 Bethel (Ind.)(29-6) def. Ottawa (Kan.)(24-9), 86-81
#1 Bellevue (Neb.)(31-3) def. #16 Aquinas (Mich.)(25-9), 65-61
#13 Northwood (Fla.)(27-7) def. #4 Walsh (Ohio)(26-5), 66-59
#5 Northwestern (Iowa)(29-4) def. Oklahoma Wesleyan (26-8), 86-85 OT
#2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)(30-4) def. #15 Cedarville (Mich.)(23-8), 79-73
Grace (Ind.)(26-9) def. #3 Morningside (Iowa)(29-4), 90-81 OT
#10 College of the Ozarks (Mo.)(27-5) def. #7 Eastern Oregon (26-6), 65-42
#11 Oregon Tech (27-6) def. #6 Evangel (Mo.)(28-6), 72-63
Thursday First Round Games:
#13 Northwood (Fla.)(26-7) def. Bluefield (Va.)(25-8), 88-86
#4 Walsh (Ohio)(26-4) def. Judson (Ill.)(19-9), 91-57
#5 Northwestern (Iowa)(28-4) def. Minot State (N.D.)(19-12), 97-90
Oklahoma Wesleyan (26-7) def. #12 William Penn (Iowa)(28-6), 75-73
#3 Morningside (Iowa)(29-3) def. Indiana Tech (21-13), 73-67
Grace (Ind.)(24-9) vs. #14 Embry-Riddle (Fla.)(27-6), 5:45 pm
#11 Oregon Tech (27-6) def. Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio)(23-8), 77-74
#6 Evangel (Mo.)(28-6) def. Menlo (Calif.)(18-10), 73-48
Wednesday First Round Scores:
Ottawa (Kan.)(24-8) def. 38 King (Tenn.)(26-8), 70-65
#16 Aquinas (Mich.)(25-8) def. Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)(24-9), 91-66
#1 Bellevue (Neb.)(30-3) def. St. Joseph (Vt.)(13-15), 111-52
#9 Bethel (Ind.)(28-6) def. Warner Pacific (Ore.)(22-11), 86-73 OT
#15 Cedarville (Ohio)(23-7) def. Jamestown (N.D.)(23-9), 83-59
#7 Eastern Oregon (26-5) def. Edward Waters (Fla.)(20-12), 93-62
#10 College of the Ozarks (Mo.)(26-5) def. Indiana-Southeast (24-9), 91-82
#2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)(29-4) def. Friends (Kan.)(19-12), 82-66