Boxscore
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – No. 13 Saint Francis (Ind.) holds off Northwest (Wash.) and moves to the second round with an 87-79 win at the 2011 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 2011 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
Game three was an entertaining one for the crowd as it featured a close contest throughout the 40 minutes of play. Both teams exchanged the lead and the margin remained single digits for the entire game. Northwest trailed 74-73 with 3:09 remaining in regulation but would come no closer in the final minutes.
The Cougars (25-9) were led by Ethan Hussey and Qadr Owens. The guards combined for 44 points. Hussey tallied 23 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field, and Owens had 17 of his 21 points in the first half. DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis added 15 points and seven rebounds. Ferdinand Morales-Soto and Matt Edmonds each scored 11 points. Edmonds also had seven rebounds. Owens threw a game-high three assists.
Saint Francis extended its National Championship win streak to six games, and has now won four straight games heading into the second round. USF shot 46 percent from the field and 26 of 37 from the free-throw line. Northwest did hold the Cougars to 27 percent shooting from behind the arc, 5 for 18.
Northwest was led by Greg Peters’ 14 points and 12 rebounds. The senior was 5 of 8 from the field. Greg George finished his collegiate career with a team-high 21 points, on 7 of 11 shooting. Jordan Call added 16 points.
The Eagles (21-9) finished 47 percent shooting from the field and 19 of 26 from the free-throw line. Northwest missed five free throws in the second half. Saint Francis held NU to 22 percent shooting from three-point range, 4 for 18, and just 1 of 9 in the second half.
The Cougars were outrebounded 36-34 by Northwest, but turned their 13 offensive rebounds into a 17-12 second-chance point advantage. NU outscored Saint Francis 44-40 in the paint and 19-6 in points off of the bench. The Eagles committed 15 turnovers to USF’s 10.
Saint Francis advances to Friday's Sweet 16 round and will play the winner of the Bellevue and Ashford first round game. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 15, 2011.