By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
William Carey University is in uncharted waters at the NAIA Men’s Basketball Championships.
For the first time in school history, the Crusaders have made it to the quarterfinal round after defeating Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 62-60 in a thriller Friday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Carey (24-9) will play again at noon Saturday against another Oklahoma team, Science and Arts, which defeated Wiley (Texas) 76-63 in a game that didn’t finish until well after midnight Saturday morning.
“What a win,” said Crusader coach Steve Knight in a post-game interview with naia.org. “This was a grind-it-out kind of game, and we had a lot of heart. Our guys had to dig deep after expending so much energy (Thursday).”
This one was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points the entire game. It featured 16 lead changes and seven ties, and it wasn’t decided until the Evangels last contested shot fell no good at the final buzzer.
MACU (21-13) led for most of the first half, built a five-point margin on several occasions in the first 20 minutes, and that was the margin at halftime, as the Evangels took a 34-29 lead into the locker room.
Mid-America took its largest lead, 35-29, on a free throw with the opening possession of the second half. However, Carey reeled off seven unanswered points to take a 36-35 lead on a basket by senior Leito Holloway, and it stayed tight the rest of the way.
Junior guard Javontae McDavid was fouled on a 3-point shot with 4:54 to play and made all three foul shots to put Carey ahead 56-55, but a three-point play by Charles Beauregard Jr. put the Evangels back in front on the next possession.
Senior Branden Shepperd got in the paint for a tying basket with 4:04 remaining, and senior Adrian Williams got a putback basket with 2:55 to put the Crusaders ahead for good at 60-58.
Shepperd made a pair of free throws to give Carey its largest lead at 62-58, with 1:38 to play, and Beauregard got a basket for Mid-America with 1:20 to go for what would prove to be the final points of the game.
Junior Cameron Douglas got a defensive rebound on a missed 3-point shot, but the Crusaders turned the ball over with 16 seconds to play, but stiff defense on the final possession preserved the victory for Carey.
“Our half-court defense was very good in the second half,” said Knight, as the Crusaders held MACU to just 8 of 30 shots from the field (26.7 percent), and just 1 of 10 from 3-point range, in the second half.
“Give them a lot of credit. They’re a very good defensive team, and they took us out of some things we like to do with dribble penetration.”
Williams led Carey with 14 points, Douglas and McDavid each added 10 points, and Shepperd grabbed 11 rebounds. Beauregard led all scorers with 16 points for Mid-America Christian.
“It’s NAIA basketball,” Knight said. “Survive and advance.”
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
Carroll (Mont.) 80, Oklahoma City 69
LSU-Alexandria 78, Bethel (Tenn.) 73
Georgetown (Ky.) 82, LSU-Shreveport 79
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 88, William Penn (Iowa) 86
Arizona Christian 83, Loyola-New Orleans (La.) 77
William Carey 62, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 60
Pikeville (Ky.) 83, Benedictine (Kan.) 78, 2 OT
Science and Arts (Okla.) 76, Wiley Texas 63
Quarterfinals
Saturday
Noon – Cramer Bracket final, William Carey (24-9) vs. Science & Arts, Okla. (22-10); 2 p.m. – Liston Bracket final, LSU-Alexandria (30-3) vs. Lewis-Clark State, Idaho (29-6); 5:30 p.m. – Naismith Bracket final, Georgetown, Ky. (30-4) vs. Arizona Christian (25-8); 7:30 p.m. – Duer Bracket final, Pikeville, Ky. (25-8) vs. Carroll, Mont. (27-7).
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
Friday at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.
William Carey 62, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 60
WCU 29 33 – 62
MACU 34 26 – 60
WILLIAM CAREY (24-9): Branden Shepperd 8 (11 rebounds), Adrian Williams 14, Rodney Mallett 2, Cameron Douglas 10, Brandon Cranford 6, Leito Holloway 6, Dalen Dotson 4, Marques McGee 2, Javontae McDavid 10. TOTALS – FG 23-56 (3FG 4-16), FT 12-23 (62).
MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN (21-13): Justin Bogle 10, Dominick Ford 5, Zach Sawyer 7, Javan Perry 6, Charles Beauregard Jr. 16, Cade Upshaw 8, Britt Hammons 8. TOTALS – FG 20-58 (3FG 8-28), FT 12-14 (60).
