2017 NCCAA Division I Basketball National Championships: Day 1

The 2017 NCCAA Division I Basketball National Championships kicked off in Winona Lake, Indiana on Monday.

Men's Division I Bracket

8:30 AM - #3 Dallas Baptist vs #6 Ohio Christian

The 8:30 AM game got the tournament started with some drama.  The #6 seed and NAIA Division II school Ohio Christian University upset #3 seed and NCAA Division II school Dallas Baptist University.  Ohio Christian was lead by an impressive 38-point performance from #24 Marquis Jackson.  Jackson also tallied 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the contest.  Gary Hoover also added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Dallas Baptist saw 4 players score in double-figures.    Sophomore JT Harris lead the Patriots offensively with 19 points in just 19 minutes of action.

Ohio Christian moves on to play in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 PM.  Ohio Christian will face the winner of #2 Emmanuel College vs #7 Life Pacific College.

Dallas Baptist University will play again tomorrow at 8:30 AM against Life Pacific College.

10:15 AM - #2 Emmanuel vs #7 Life Pacific

The defending NCCAA National Champions of Emmanuel College kicked off their quest to repeat with a game against Life Pacific College.  Life Pacific lead for most of the first half, but a tip-in at the buzzer from Zach Lillie gave Emmanuel a 2 point lead going into halftime.  Emmanuel was paced offensively by sophomore Emmerson McClug.  McClug provided 19 points, while Lillie provided 16 points.  With 1:42 left to play, Life Pacific cut the Emmanuel lead to just 3 points, but was unable to regain the lead.  Emmanuel ended up winning the contest 71-65.

Emmanuel College will move on to play the #6 seed Ohio Christian University Trailblazers on Thursday at 3:30 PM.

 Life Pacific will take on Dallas Baptist on Thursday at 8:30 AM.

3:30 PM - #1 Colorado Christian vs #8 Hiwassee

The top-seeded Colorado Christian Cougars pounced on their chance to take on the Hiwassee Tigers.  The Cougars cruised to a 94-68 victory over the Tigers.  Dimitri Saliba lead Colorado Christian with 20 points offensively.  

Colorado Christian University will play Grace College on Thursday at 5:15 PM.

Hiwassee will play Central Baptist on Thursday at 10:15 AM.

5:15 #4 Central Baptist vs #5 Grace

Central Baptist and Grace College played one of the craziest games I have ever seen in person.  The Grace College Lancers ended up victorious in double overtime 86-80.  After being tied at 33 at halftime, Grace started the second half on fire.  Grace held a 14 point lead (their largest lead of the game) with 13:50 left in the second half.  The lead slowly slipped away and Central Baptist eventually regained control.  

With 19 seconds left in regulation, Mike Evans made a second-chance basket in the paint to give Central Baptist a 65-64 lead.  Grace's Erik Bowen drew a foul and a trip to the line with 3 seconds left to play.  Bowen split the pair of free throws and tied the game.  

In the first overtime, Braxton Linville committed a foul with 0.3 seconds to send Central Baptist to the line down one.  Fred Albright missed the first free throw, but sank the second to tie the game and force another overtime.

Erik Bowen showed up to play in the second overtime, scoring 10 points in the additional 5 minute period.  Stephen Halstead added a pair of clutch free throws late in the second overtime to seal the deal for the Grace College victory.

Erik Bowen lead the Lancers with a double-double of 31 points and 12 rebounds.  Logan Godfrey added a double-double of his own with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  Halstead and Jaret Sons also scored in double-figures for Grace.  

Central Baptist was lead offensively by Teshawn Sims, who poured in 16 points.  Mike Evans added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Grace College moves on to play Colorado Christian at 5:15 on Thursday evening with a trip to the NCCAA National Championship Game on the line.

Central Baptist will play Hiwassee at 10:15 AM on Thursday.

Women's Division I Bracket

12 PM - #4 Greenville vs #5 Southwestern Christian

The first game of the tournament on the women's side saw #4 Greenville College take on #5 Southwestern Christian.  In a hard fought battle on both sides, the Greenville Panthers found themselves victorious.  Laura Goodnight paced the Panthers providing 23 points.  Taylor Paulin added 16 points while pulling down 8 rebounds for Greenville.  Greenville shot 41.2% from behind the arc throughout the game.

Eliora Johnson provided a double-double for the Lady Eagles of Southwestern Christian University.  Johnson scored 28 points while securing 11 rebounds. 

Greenville moves on to play on Thursday night at 7 PM against the #1 Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks.

Southwestern Christian will play again on Thursday at 12 PM against Crowley's Ridge.

1:45 PM - #1 Roberts Wesleyan vs #8 Crowley's Ridge

After winning the NCCAA Division I Women's National Championship in 2016, the Roberts Wesleyan College Redhawks are looking to defend their title.  Crowley's Ridge held a 5-2 lead before Roberts Wesleyan took the lead and never looked back.  Roberts Wesleyan was the first team in the tournament to score over 100+ points.  6 different Redhawks scored in double figures with freshman Emily Miller leading the way with 19 points.  Miller also pulled down 10 rebounds to finish the game with a double-double.  

The Redhawks soared to an easy 108-63 victory over Crowley's Ridge to move on to the next round.  Roberts Wesleyan will face Greenville College at 7 PM on Thursday night.

Crowley's RIdge will get another chance on Thursday afternoon against Southwestern Christian.

7:30 PM - #3 Emmanuel vs #6 Grace

Emmanuel and Grace squared off to begin the second half of the girls bracket.  Emmanuel's Lady Lions came away with a 73-53 over the Lady Lancers.  The Lady Lions were lead by 4 players scoring in double-figures.  Mikayla Trombley lead the scoring attack with 18 points while Elise Coberly chipped in with an 11 point, 11 rebound double-double. 

Vironnica Drake and Darian Patton lead the Lady Lancers offense with 12 points apiece.  

9:15 PM - #2 Mid-America Christian vs #7 Bluefield

And the final game of the evening finally tipped off around 9:30 PM  with Mid-America Christian University taking on Bluefield College.  Mid-America Christian came in as the #2 seed in the tournament and had a strong performance to secure a win to move on to the semifinals.  The MACU Evangels were lead by Mykayla Flores, who had 16 points and 9 assists.  Jamie Lamb and D'Shala Powell both provided 10 points as well.

Mid-America Christian moves on to play the Emmanuel Lady Lions in the 8:45 PM semifinal game on Thursday night.

Bluefield College will face the Grace College Lady Lancers in the consolation bracket at 1:45 on Thursday afternoon. 

Chantel Shetler is the official photographer of the 2017 NCCAA Division I Basketball National Championships.  All photography used throughout our articles this week will be provided from Chantel Shetler Designs.  To view more pictures from the action at the NCCAA Championships, check out her website throughout the week.  Photos will also be available for purchase on her website.