2017 NCCAA Division I Basketball National Championships: Day 2
Day one of the NCCAA Division I Basketball National Championships saw some fantastic action on both the men's and women's side of the tournament. With 8 games yesterday, and 8 more games today, the fans are getting their moneys worth here in Winona Lake, Indiana. The highlight of the day on Wednesday was the double-overtime thriller between the Grace College Lancers and the Central Baptist Mustangs. The top-seeded Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks put on a great show scoring 108 points in their first round game yesterday.
Championship Bracket
Men's
3 PM - Ohio Christian vs Emmanuel
With a trip to the championship on the line, Emmanuel College squared off against Ohio Christian on Thursday afternoon. Marquis Jackson of Ohio Christian has been the player of the tournament so far. Another strong performance from Jackson lead Ohio Christian to a victory over Emmanuel and a spot in the National Championship on Saturday. Jackson poured in 34 points while pulling down 9 rebounds and dishing 6 assists.
With another strong performance in the championship game on Saturday, Jackson could put the NCCAA Tournament scoring record in danger. The current 3-game record is held by John Taylor of Fresno Pacific. Taylor set the record back in 2013. Jackson needs 42 points to tie Taylor's record; 43 to break it.
Ohio Christian will face the top-seeded Colorado Christian in the National Championship on Saturday at 5 PM.
Emmanuel will battle Grace College in the 3rd place game on Saturday at 10 AM.
5:15 PM - Colorado Christian vs Grace
Another great performance from Grace came up just short against Colorado Christian. Colorado Christian lead by as many as 15 in the second half, but Grace never gave up. Colorado Christian was lead by a pair of 20+ point performances from Dimitri Saliba and Ty McGee. McGee also added 7 rebounds, which was tied for the team lead. Tre Olive lead the scoring for Grace with 21 points, while Logan Godfrey added another 13 point, 13 rebound double-double.
Following the 79-72 win over Grace College, Colorado Christian will battle Ohio Christian in the National Championship on Saturday.
Grace will face Emmanuel in the 3rd place game on Saturday morning at 10 AM.
Women's
7 PM - Greenville vs Roberts Wesleyan
Following their 108 point scoring performance on Wednesday afternoon, Roberts Wesleyan looked to have another big night on Thursday. Greenville College had other thoughts. Greenville held Roberts Wesleyan to 72 points on Thursday, while scoring 78 to move on to the National Championship game on Saturday night. Meredith Crosier lead Greenville with 18 points, while Laura Goodnight added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Greenville plays again on Saturday night against Emmanuel for the National Championship.
Roberts Wesleyan will play Mid-America Christian in the 3rd place game.
8:45 PM - Emmanuel vs Mid-America Christian.
Mid-America Christian was down 20 points in the 4th quarter. Their largest lead was by 2 with 9:44 left in the 1st quarter; just 16 seconds into the game. A huge second half performance from Sarai Rodriguez was almost enough to lead Mid-America Christian over Emmanuel. In the second half, Rodriguez scored 16 points, including a perfect 4-4 shooting from 3-point range.
Timia Reynolds went 1-2 from the free throw line with 13 seconds left the give Emmanuel a 1 point lead. Sarai Rodriguez missed a shot for MACU with 7 seconds left. Rodriguez stole the ball from Lochlain Corliss right before the buzzer, but her full court heave did not fall.
Emmanuel snuck away with a 75-74 win and a chance to play for the National Championship.
Mid-America Christian will have a chance to play in the 3rd place game on Saturday at noon.
Consolation Bracket
Men's
8:30 AM - Dallas Baptist vs Life Pacific
Both Dallas Baptist and Life Pacific both looked to bounce back after tough first round losses yesterday. Ramez Michail lead all scorers with 24 points for Life Pacific. Life Pacific took a 2 point lead into half time, but Dallas Baptist outscored Life Pacific 49-36 in the second half.
Dallas Baptist will advance to the 5th place game on Friday afternoon at 5 PM following their 83-72 victory. Myles Johnson, Carter Brown, Xavier Ledet, and Jordan Pratt all scored at least 10 points and pulled down 6 rebounds in the team victory.
Life Pacific will play in the 7th place game on Friday afternoon at 1 PM.
10:15 AM - Hiwasee vs Central Baptist
Coming off of the heartbreak of losing in double-overtime to Grace College yesterday, Central Baptist was looking for revenge. Nick Jones lead the way for Central Baptist with 20 points off the bench to lead the Mustangs to victory over Hiwassee. Jones also connected on 6 of 7 shots from beyond the arc. Hiwassee was lead by Ben Snider with 18 points. Tevin Henry also added a double-double in the effort.
Central Baptist came out of the contest with a 83-75 victory. They will move on to battle Dallas Baptist on Friday at 5 PM in the 5th place game.
Hiwassee will take on Life Pacific on Friday at 1 PM in the battle for 7th place.
Women's
12 PM - Southwestern Christian vs Crowley's Ridge
Southwestern Christian sailed easily to a 90-59 victory over Crowley's Ridge. Southwestern Christian was lead by a pair of Lady Eagles who combined to score 52 points. Eliora Johnson scored 25 points and Maranda Janz provided 27 points. Janz also hit seven shots from behind the three-point line.
Southwestern Christian will move on to play in the 5th place game on Friday night at 7 PM.
Crowley's Ridge will play in the 7th place game on Friday at 3 PM.
1:45 PM - Grace vs Bluefield
In a game that came down to the last shot, the Grace College Lady Lancers ended up on top. Vironnica Drake lead the Lancers with 12 points. Kelsie Peterson added 11 points for the Lady Lancers, including a pair of free throws with 2 seconds left to give Grace a 1 point lead. Haley Richardson lead Grace with 7 rebounds, including 3 offensive boards.
Grace will move on to play Southwestern Christian for 5th place on Friday night at 7 PM.
Bluefield will face Crowley's Ridge in the 7th place game on Friday afternoon at 3 PM.
