WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Cedarville men’s basketball team made short work of No. 7 Tennessee Temple by the score of 87-58 in the first round of the 2013 NCCAA National Championships Wednesday night.
The Yellow Jackets shot 57 percent from the floor, including a 63-percent performance in the second half, to advance to Thursday’s national semifinals against No. 3 Oklahoma Christian at 5:15 p.m.
Austin Foote, who led all players with 24 points, got Cedarville off to a fast start as the Yellow Jackets erupted for 12 straight points after the tipoff in less than two minutes. Foote scored eight of Cedarville’s first 12 points.
Tennessee Temple trailed by double figures for nearly the entire rest of the contest. Foote’s 17 first-half points paced the Yellow Jackets to a 39-26 halftime cushion.
The Crusaders did their best to cut into Cedarville’s lead. After a pair of consecutive 3-pointers from Tennessee Temple, the Crusaders found themselves trailing by 10 points with 11 minutes remaining.
But within four minutes of the Crusaders’ run, Cedarville had ballooned its margin to 20 points to end any further threat of a comeback.
Foote hit 10-of-13 from the floor for 24 points. Jason Cuffee stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 0 turnovers, and Daniel Hickman produced 13 points off the bench for Cedarville.
The Crusaders were highlighted offensively with 13 points from Elliot Johnson and 11 points from Hampton Mack.
Tennessee Temple will take on No. 6 Spring Arbor on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. in the consolation bracket.
CEDARVILLE 87, TENNESSEE TEMPLE 58
TENNESSEE TEMPLE (58) -- Whittaker 2, Hampton Mack 11, Clarke, Beauvil 3, Walker, Freeman, Ruise 1, Bell 7, Sanders 7, Quinn, Rich'ard 2, Elliot Johnson 13, Slade 2, Jones 8, Riek 2, Brazier.
CEDARVILLE (87) -- Grant 8, Austin Foote 24, Brown 2, Nwogbo 4, Jason Cuffee 11, Hecker 7, Woods, Smith 3, Daniel Hickman 13, Reineke 7, Redic 7, Maxwell, Reep 1.
Halftime: Cedarville, 39-26. 3-point goals: Temple 2 (Sanders 2, Beauvil, Johnson); Cedarville 10 (Foote 3, Hickman 3, Cuffee, Hecker, Reineke, Redic).
Shorter 101, Mid-America Christian 89
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Shorter’s men’s basketball team put on an offensive showcase in their opening game of the 2013 NCCAA National Championships with a 101-89 win over No. 4 Mid-America Christian.
The Hawks, in their first season as NCCAA members, placed all five starters in double-digit scoring, shot over 50 percent from the field in each half and tallied at least 50 points in both halves.
Anthony Banks was a force on both ends of the court for Shorter with 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocked shots and 4 assists. Walter Hill also drilled five 3-pointers for 26 points for Shorter.
Shorter seized early control of the contest with a 25-6 run and never looked back. Mid-America trailed 50-32 at the halftime break.
The Evangels did their best to slice into Shorter’s lead in the second half with 57 points as a team after halftime, but their effort wasn’t enough to erase the Hawk’s halftime edge.
Oklahoma Christian 83, Spring Arbor 59
Oklahoma Christian men’s coach Dan Hays reached a personal milestone with his 700th career coaching victory in the team’s 83-59 win over Spring Arbor in the first round of the NCCAA National Championships. The Eagles blew open a 34-31 halftime advantage by outscoring the Cougars by 21 points after halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Oklahoma Christian made their move. The Eagles scored 17 unanswered points over a four-minute stretch to claim a 59-44 lead with 11:15 to play. Spring Arbor did not come closer than 12 points of the Eagles’ lead after that juncture.
Will Reinke tied for team scoring honors with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, and Nick Tate came off the bench to add 17 points.
Fresno Pacific 113, Roberts Wesleyan 101
No. 1 Fresno Pacific and No. 8 Roberts Wesleyan teamed up for the most action-packed game of the first day of the 2013 NCCAA National Championships as Fresno Pacific won 113-101.
Fresno’s John Taylor scored an incredible 50 points to highlight the Sunbirds’ effort as they locked up a spot in Thursday’s NCCAA semifinals. Taylor scored early and often for the Sunbirds, tallying 29 first-half points on 10-of-14 shooting. Taylor made 16-of-23 from the floor and 14-of-18 from the foul line for his 50-point outburst.
Stone paced Roberts Wesleyan with 31 points on six 3-pointers, and Tyrel Dixon added 28 points and four assists.
Fresno Pacific will face off against No. 5 Shorter on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the NCCAA semifinals, and Roberts Wesleyan plays Mid-America Christian on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
Southern Nazerene (w) 79, Shorter 49
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The fourth-seeded Southern Nazarene women's basketball team blew past No. 5 Shorter in the first game of the 2013 NCCAA National Championships by the score of 79-49.
Four players reached double-digit scoring for the Crimson Storm, led by 17 points and 19 rebounds from Aminata Fall. Southern Nazarene overwhelmed Shorter in the first half, claiming a 37-22 lead at the break.
Lindsey Crawford paced Shorter with 12 points and 10 boards, and Karisma Boykin chipped in 11 points.