EVANSVILLE, Ind.– Will certainly Yoakum racked up 31 factors, Dallas Graziani included 24 factors, 9 aids and also 3 swipes and also top-ranked Nova Southeastern beat West Liberty 111-101 on Saturday to win the initial NCAA Department II championship game in program background.
” They’re unique,” Nova Southeastern instructor Jim Crutchfield stated, “since they’re 36-0.”
The Sharks (36-0), that went 33-1 last period with their single loss can be found in the Elite 8, ended up being simply the 6th unbeaten group to win the title, signing up with Northwest Missouri State (38-0 in 2018-19, the initial of 3 straight champions), Findlay (36-0 in 2008-09), Ft Hays State (34-0 in 1995-96), Cal State Bakersfield (33-0 in 1992-93) and also Evansville (29-0 in 1964-65).
RJ Sunahara fouled out with around 5 mins left and also completed with 28 factors on 12-of-17 capturing for Nova Southeastern and also Kobe Rodgers included 13 factors and also 7 rebounds.
Bryce Butler led West Freedom (33-4) with 32 factors and also 9 rebounds. Christian Montague struck 5 of 7 from 3-point variety and also completed with 19 factors, Steve Cannady and also Zach Rasile racked up 11 each and also Chaz Hinds included 10 factors.
Sunahara made a layup to open up the racking up concerning a min right into the video game, Graziani racked up to make it 16-6 with 15:23 left in the initial fifty percent and also Nova Southeastern never ever routed.
The Sharks, that entered into the video game leading Department II in racking up (102.5 per video game), established the document for many factors by a group in an NCAA males’s or ladies’s national championship at any kind of department.
Sunahara racked up 20 first-half factors on 9-of-11 capturing, Yoakum made 6 of 7 from the area to rack up 15 factors and also Graziani racked up 14 factors with 7 aids as the Sharks took a 55-48 introduce intermission. It was the highest-scoring fifty percent in D-II champion background.
West Freedom was required 3 ostentatious fouls and also 2 technological fouls. Ben Sarson was required an Ostentatious 2 nasty and also expelled after he bent Yoakum – that played 4 periods for the Hilltoppers prior to moving to Nova Southeastern– on a box out early in the 2nd fifty percent. Sarson, a 6-foot-6 student, began each of the 35 video games in which he appeared this period, balancing 10.5 factors and also 4.4 rebounds.
The Hilltoppers’ Malik McKinney fouled out midway via the 2nd fifty percent and after that was examined a technological nasty and also Montague was required technological with 8:15 to play.
