POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Looking to win its first NAIA Division II Championship game since 2011, the fourth-seeded Mountaineers went into Keeter Gymnasium and picked up a 92-90 win on a last second shot over the fifth-seeded Grenadiers.
Leading the way for EOU was senior forward Bryan McGriff who tallied up 33 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 10-for-16 from field goal range. Senior guard Kentrell Washington notched 20 points with nine rebounds and a pair of assists, while freshman guard Max McCullough rounded out the Mounties in double digits with 12 points and four boards.
As a team, the Mountaineers (24-8), shot 43.4 percent compared to IU Southeast’s 50.8 percent. However, from three-point land the Blue and Gold outshot the Grenadiers, 42.5 percent to 40 percent. EOU won the assist battle (15-9), scored more points of the bench (19-14), and grabbed more rebounds (41-39).
The Mountaineers were just one three-pointer away from tying the NAIA tournament record for most threes in a game at 18. The senior Las Vegas duo of Washington and McGriff led the way, as the pair chalked up a combined nine three-balls.
Picking things up halfway through the first stanza at 8:22, the Mountaineers found themselves down by 19 points, 34-15. The Grenadiers (24-7), had used an 18-8 run from the 15:10 mark to improve their lead and to control the momentum over those seven minutes.
Through out the next six minutes, EOU cut the IU Southeast lead to 11 points three times. The foes then went back and forth, as the Grenadiers looked to rebuild their lead, while the Mountaineers looked to continue chipping away.
Over the final two minutes of the half, the Mountaineers went on a 5-0 run, capped off by a free throw from McGriff to cut the lead to 11 once again, as the teams took to the locker room (51-40).
In the second half, Washington cut the IU Southeast lead to eight, 51-43 with a huge trey to kick things off. McCullough then followed suit, nailing a three-ball of his own from a few feet behind the arc. After a Grenadier lay-in, McGriff continued the EOU trend and buried a three of his own (53-49).
With 15:40 to play, senior wing Travis Meeker cut the lead to three, 58-55 after connecting with a huge shot from behind the arc.
Just minutes later, another Meeker three tied the game at 62 with 13 minutes to play. On the next EOU possession, the Mountaineers snatched the lead with a bucket from Washington. After a pair of points from the charity stripe for McGriff, the Blue and Gold built a five point lead with just 10 minutes to play (72-67).
However, by 8:55 IU Southeast had retaken the lead, 73-72 on an old fashion three-point play. McGriff, refusing to go away, then answered with back to back threes from more than 12 feet out, rebuilding an EOU lead, 83-79.
In response, the Grenadiers hit a pair of three’s of their own, retaking a two-point lead with less than four minutes to play (87-85).
With 47 seconds to play, EOU found itself down one, 90-89 with McGriff at the free throw line. The senior missed the first, but came through on the second, tying the game at 90. EOU then got the ball with 12 and a half seconds to play, and on the in-bound worked to get the ball to Washington. Washington then worked his way to the bucket and tossed up a high lay-in off the top of the glass. The shot fell with a second and a half remaining and the Mountaineers moved on to the round of 16.
BY THE NUMBERS
16 – Double doubles on the season for McGriff.
65 – Combined points from Washington, McGriff and McCullough.
1ST – NAIA Tournament win since 2011.
UP NEXT
EOU will face the winner of first seeded Bethel (Ind.) and eighth seeded Calumet (Ind.) tomorrow afternoon. Tipoff is set for 3:45 p.m. To follow live stats/video,
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