By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
For just the third time in 13 trips to the national tournament, William Carey University is sticking around to play a second game.
The Crusaders built a big second-half lead, then weathered a furious comeback by Peru State (Neb.) to win 95-89 in the first round of the NAIA Men’s Basketball Championships Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Carey (23-9), the fourth-seeded team in the Cramer Bracket, advanced to face Mid-American Christian (Okla.) at 5:45 p.m. Friday in the tournament’s second round. Eighth-seeded Mid-American surprised No. 1 seed Tougaloo 73-64 earlier Thursday.
“We hadn’t played since Feb. 28, so I was concerned with the long layoff,” said Carey coach Steve Knight in a post-game interview with naia.org. “We were concerned because we only had three guys who had played in this environment before. Our guys just competed. I’m so happy for them.”
Junior Cameron Douglas, a Pearl River Community College transfer from Columbus, led William Carey with 19 points, and he put the Crusaders ahead for good early in the first half.
WCU used runs of 7-0 and 9-0 to build a 25-15 lead, but the Bobcats went on a 15-5 run to tie the game 30-30.
However, Carey scored six unanswered points and took a 48-43 lead into the halftime break on a 3-point shot at the buzzer by junior Javonte McDavid.
The Crusaders opened the second half with an 11-4 surge, and took a 15-point lead, 70-55, with 10:54 to play on a fast-break layup by Douglas. WCU led by as many as 16 points before PSC rallied.
“We knew we had to make shots, not turn the ball over and control the tempo,” Knight said. “We gave up more points than we would have liked, but they have Final Four talent and they’re a great offensive basketball team.”
A 10-0 run pulled the Bobcats to within six, 81-75, but senior Leito Holloway converted a pair of foul shots, and the Crusaders were good on 12 of their last 15 free throws in the final three minutes to preserve the victory.
Senior Brandon Shepperd finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds, junior Brandon Cranford had 18 points off the bench, and Holloway added 11 points, also off the bench. Lyle Hexom had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead Peru State, which finished its season 23-11.
“This is a great group of kids with big hearts,” said Knight. “This is the first time we’ve won a game out here since ’14, I think. So it’s great to move on.”
NAIA Men’s Basketball Championships
At Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.
Scores/Schedule
First round
Wednesday
Bethel (Tenn.) 77, John Brown (Ark.) 57
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 71, Campbellsville (Ky.) 70
LSU-Shreveport 83, William Jessup (Cal.) 65
LSU-Alexandria 81, Central Baptist (Ark.) 74
Georgetown (Ky.) 77, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 57
William Penn (Iowa) 69, Vanguard (Cal.) 53
Loyola-New Orleans (La.) 68, Missouri Baptist 67
Arizona Christian 81, Wayland Baptist 73
Thursday
Pikeville (Ky.) 69, Talladega (Ala.) 65
Wiley (Texas) 68, Cumberlands (Ky.) 56
Carroll (Mont.) 71, St. Thomas-Houston (Texas) 65
Oklahoma City 101, Stillman (Ala.) 84
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 73, Tougaloo 64
William Carey 95, Peru State (Neb. )89
Benedictine (Kan.) 90, Westmont (Cal.) 85
Sciences and Arts (Okla.) 78, The Masters (Cal.) 75
Second round
Friday
9 a.m. – Carroll, Mont. (26-7) vs. Oklahoma City (22-10); 10:45 a.m. – LSU-Alexandria (29-3) vs. Bethel, Tenn. (25-8); 12:30 p.m. – Georgetown, Ky. (29-4) vs. LSU-Shreveport (23-10); 2:15 p.m. – William Penn, Iowa (22-11) vs. Lewis-Clark State, Idaho (28-6); 4 p.m. – Loyola, La. (22-11) vs. Arizona Christian (24-8); 5:45 p.m. – Mid-America Christian, Okla. (21-12) vs. William Carey (23-9); 7:30 p.m. – Benedictine, Kan. (31-3) vs. Pikeville, Ky. (24-8); 9:15 p.m. – Wiley, Texas (24-6) vs. Science and Arts, Okla. (21-10).
Quarterfinals
Saturday
Noon – Cramer Bracket final, Mid-Am Christian/Carey winner vs. Wiley/Science & Arts winner; 2 p.m. – Liston Bracket final, LSUA/Bethel winner vs. William Penn/Lewis-Clark State winner; 5:30 p.m. – Naismith Bracket final, Georgetown/LSUS winner vs. Loyola/Arizona Christian winner; 7:30 p.m. – Duer Bracket final, Benedictine/Pikeville winner vs. Carroll/OCU winner.
Semifinals
Monday
6 p.m. – Cramer Bracket winner vs. Naismith Bracket winner; 8 p.m. – Liston Bracket winner vs. Duer Bracket winner.
Championship
Tuesday
8 p.m. – Semifinal winners.
Carey Basketball Summary
NAIA Men’s National Tournament
Thursday at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.
William Carey 95, Peru State (Neb.) 89
PSC 43 46 – 85
WCU 48 47 – 95
PERU STATE (23-11): Lyle Hexom 30 (10 rebounds), Brandon Jones 21 (8 rebounds, 5 assists), Jamil Maddred 2, KeShawn Wilson 8, DeMon Hyler 14, Terry Moore Jr. 1, Tyrone Carey Jr. 13. TOTALS – FG 30-60 (3FG 11-30), FT 18-29 (89).
WILLIAM CAREY (23-9): Cameron Douglas 19, Rodney Mallett 8, Ryan McRaney 3, Branden Shepperd 18 (9 rebounds), Adrian Williams 6, Brandon Cranford 18, Leito Holloway 11, Javonte McDavid 5, Marques McGee 7. TOTALS – FG 33-67 (3FG 6-23), FT 23-31 (95).
