Oregon Tech completed a 31-6 season by defeating top-seeded Bellevue 63-56 in the national championship game Tuesday night.
OIT Claims National Crown with 63-56 Victory
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – National champs!
Eleventh-seeded Oregon Tech, one day after ousting second-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene in the national semifinals, Tuesday night handed top-seeded Bellevue (Neb.) a 63-56 setback to claim the 2008 NAIA Division II men’s basketball championship.
It is the second national title for head coach Danny Miles and the Hustlin’ Owls, who also defeated Bellevue to win the 2004 championship here.
The 119 combined points matched the lowest-scoring championship game in NAIA tournament history.
Ryan Fiegi, a 6-7 senior guard/forward from Medford, Ore., once again led the way for the representatives from the Cascade Collegiate Conference, scoring 22 points and grabbing four rebounds. Fiegi, who partially dislocated his right kneecap in OIT’s opening-round game Thursday night, led the Owls in scoring in all five games during the championship, totaling 112 points in the tournament.
Guard Jguwon Hogges added 14 points, including nine in the second half. His 3-point field goal from the right side with 3:23 remaining gave the Owls a 59-52 lead. He added a key steal with under a minute remaining, then drew a two-shot foul driving to the basket with the shot clock winding down. Hogges sank both free throws to give Tech a 61-56 lead. Fiegi added two more free throws with five seconds remaining to provide the final margin of victory.
Ryan Beesley came off the bench to spark Tech (31-6) in the second half. The 6-4 junior finished with 10 points, eight of which came in the second half on a pair of 3-point field goals and two free throws.
Bellevue (33-4) was led by John Gray, who finished with 14 points.
Fiegi was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Hogges and Josh Wetzler of OIT joined Fiegi on the all-tournament team. Miles, OIT's 37th-year head coach, was named the NAIA Division II National Coach of the Year.