Bowen Leads Lancers To Win In 2OTWINONA LAKE – Describing Erik Bowen's performance Wednesday night in the first round of the NCCAA National Championships, Grace College men's basketball coach Jim Kessler probably couldn't have been more accurate. “He went to work,” Kessler said of the 6-foot-6 junior's 31-point, 12-rebound performance, which led the fifth-seeded Lancers to an 86-80 win in double overtime over the fourth-seeded Central Baptist University Mustangs. The 16-team tournament – 8 men's teams and 8 women's teams – is being held at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in Winona Lake from Wednesday through Saturday. Bowen finished the game 10 of 19 from the field and 11 of 15 from the free throw line. He scored 14 of his 31 points during the two overtime periods. A bucket by Bowen broke a 78-all tie in the second overtime. With 18.9 seconds remaining, Bowen gave the Lancers an 84-78 advantage with a pair of free throws. “He was focused on what he had to do,” Kessler said of Bowen. “We found him, and he just willed some of them into the basket. He's a tremendous competitor, and he just willed them in there. He just went to work.” Junior Stephen Halstead scored 16 points for Grace, while sophomore Logan Godfrey tallied 12 points and 12 boards, and freshman Jaret Sons and senior Tre Olive finished with 11 and nine points, respectively. With the eight-point win, the Lancers advanced to a 5:15 p.m. semifinal game today against top-seeded Colorado Christian, a 94-68 winner Wednesday over No. 8 seed Hiwasee College. By virtue of being the host school, Grace received an automatic bid to the tournament. Kessler said it was important for his players to prove they belong. The NAIA Div. II Lancers did that against the NAIA Div. I Mustangs. “When you win the first one, especially when you're an at-large, you feel like you belong,” said Kessler, whose team improved to 15-18 on the season. “It's the same with the (NAIA) tournament in Branson (Missouri), you don't want people to just say 'oh, they're the host school.' No, we're playing to win this thing. You have to show up and play like you belong." The teams were tied 33-33 at halftime. After the Mustangs scored the first three points of the second half, Grace went on an 18-1 run to take a 51-37 lead. Central Baptist, which fell to 22-11 on the season, steadily chipped away at the deficit and the teams were deadlocked at 65-all at the end of regulation, and then tied 72-72 after the first five-minute overtime. “To their credit, they just kept coming and coming," Kessler said of the Mustangs. “They made shots when they had to make them.” Teshawn Sims led Central Baptist with 16 points, while Mike Evans finished with 13 points and 12 boards. Marcelious Green scored 11 points, and Andy Ettiene, Fred Albright and DJ Reed scored eight points each in the loss.
OHIO CHRISTIAN 87, DALLAS BAPTIST 80 In the first men’s game of the day – the first game overall – sixth-seeded Ohio Christian upset third-seeded Dallas Baptist 87-80. Marquis Jackson led Ohio Christian with 38 points, making 13 of 21 shot attempts. He also tallied eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Nic Baker and Gary Hoover chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the win. JT Harris scored 19 points in the loss, while Julian Miranda and Myles Johnson finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
EMMANUEL 71, LIFE PACIFIC 65 Emmerson McClung scored 19 points and led a trio of double-figure scorers in second-seeded Emmanuel’s 71-65 win over No. 7 seed Life Pacific. Zach Lillie and Derek Vandiver scored 16 and 12 points, respectively, in the win. Emmanuel turned the ball over 13 times, but redeemed itself with 13 assists. Life Pacific committed 12 turnovers and had just six assists. Mark Eden led Life Pacific with 19 points, while Ramez Michail scored 16 and Trent Rowser 14.
COLORADO CHRISTIAN 94, HIWASEE 68 Top-seeded Colorado Christian had little trouble in winning its first-round game 94-68 over No. 8 seed Hiwasee. Six players scored in double figures for Colorado Christian, led by Dimitri Saliba’s 20 points. Also in double figures was Ty McGee (14), Jeremiah Hanson (13), Stefan Hackethal (12), Brendan Mann (12) and Jacob Taylor (10). Brett Brady scored nine points in the win. For Hiwasee, Jay Cade scored 20 points, while Dess Culpepper and Marius Williams finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
