POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - #6 Indiana Wesleyan shoots 62% in its 83-61 win over Evergreen State (Wash.) in the second round of the 2009 NAIA D-II Men's Basketball National Championship. They join two other Mid-Central Collegiate Conference teams (Grace and #2 Bethel) in the Elite Eight. The 18th annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
Four players scored in double figures for Indiana Wesleyan, led by All-American Antonio Murrell with a game-high 23 points. The senior guard went 9-of-12 from the field and also tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Jon Moon scored all 15 of his points from the three-point line and increases his tournament total to eight three-pointers in two games. Landon Adler and Zach Coverstone added 14 points each.
Indiana Wesleyan never trailed against Evergreen State as they opened up a 6-0 lead. With the lead at two (10-8), the Wildcats outscored the Geoducks 16-5 to push the lead to double digits late in the first half. Moon sparked the run with a pair of three-pointers and Indiana Wesleyan shot 70% from beyond the arc in the first half.
Evergreen State made a charge and managed to cut the lead to seven (59-52) but six straight points opened the game up once again for Indiana Wesleyan and they went on to record the 22-point win.
Indiana Wesleyan shot 62% for the game, 50% from the three-point line. They held Nathan Menefee, the nation's second leading scorer, to 21 points. The junior totaled 69 points in two games at the tournament. Nick Moore closed out his career at Evergreen State with 19 points and six rebounds. The Geoducks end the season with a 20-12 record.
Making its second tournament appearance, Indiana Wesleyan (29-6) advances to the Elite Eight for the second time. They will either the University of Sioux Falls or College of the Ozarks at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 17, 2009.

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Wildcats Advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the Second Time
#6 Indiana Wesleyan held off Trinity Christian 67-61 in the first round of the 2009 NAIA D-II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 18th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
Trinity Christian opened the game with a 12-5 run but the Wildcats, behind 57% shooting in the first half, tied the game at 18. Leading by two (23-21), Indiana Wesleyan limited the Trolls to just one basket over the final five minutes to take a 30-23 lead at intermission. Trinity struggled from the field, shooting just 17% from beyond the arc.
Indiana Wesleyan began the second half on an 8-2 run and held its largest lead, 38-25. The Trolls came storming back to tie the game at 49 after a basket by Alex Rusticus with over eight minutes to go. A Will Bruinsma three-pointer put Trinity Christian up by one (59-58) but the Wildcats clamped down defensively and closed the game with a 9-2 run to earn the win. Indiana Wesleyan limited Trinity Christian to just one basket over the final three minutes.
The Wildcats registered three players in double figures, led by Antonio Murrell with 18. Jon Moon and Zach Coverstone added 15 and 12 points, respectively. Murrell and Moon combined for six three-pointers. Indiana Wesleyan shot 55% for the game.
Trinity Christian was led in scoring by Ross Stuursma with 18 points on 8-of-10 from the field. Kurt Gruppen, the Chicagoland Collegiate Conference player-of-the-year, netted 17 points while Alex Rusticus scored eight and pulled down 12 rebounds. After shooting just 37% in the first half, the Trolls made 55% of their field goal attempts in the second half. They shot 46% for the game. Trinity Christian, making its second appearance at the national tournament, ends the season at 23-9.
Indiana Wesleyan improves to 28-6 overall and will play either #11 Bluefield (Va.) or Evergreen State (Wash.) on Friday, March 13 at 4:00 p.m. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 17, 2009.

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POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. (Box Score) -- Indiana Wesleyan University scored nine of the final 11 points to fend off unseeded Trinity Christian (Ill.) College 67-61 in the NAIA Division II National Championship First Round on Wednesday morning in Point Lookout, Missouri.
The Wildcats trailed 59-58 with under three minutes to play. Senior forward Landon Adler hit bucket down low and was fouled with 2:05 on the clock for a three-point play to give IWU the 61-59 advantage.
Both teams missed shots in their next possession. Trinity Christian looked to tie or take the lead but senior guard Antonio Murrell stripped the ball lose and scored on a fast break give-and-go with Adler to increase the Wildcat lead to two possessions at 63-59 and 50 seconds to go.
The Trolls missed a 3-point attempt and grabbed the offense rebound, but missed again as the Wildcats grabbed the rebound. IWU junior guard Spencer Harris was fouled with 30 seconds to play and iced the game with two free throws.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (official bracket) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the 32-team bracket for the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 18th annual event will be held March 11-17 in Point Lookout, Mo. The College of the Ozarks (Mo.) serves as host for the 10th straight year.
 
Oklahoma Wesleyan University, the nation’s top-ranked team for the last four weeks, earns the No. 1 seed. The Eagles stand 30-2 and take on Fisher (Mass.) College, winners of the Sunrise Conference Tournament, at 7:30 p.m. CST on Thursday (March 12). OWU has won 13 straight games and comes into its second ever Championship with a 1-1 record.
 
Defending national champion and No. 7 seed, Oregon Tech opens up play with a 9:45 p.m. game against Iowa Wesleyan on Wednesday. Host school, Ozarks, will face No. 14 Aquinas (Mich.) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
 
Oregon Tech owns the most wins (25) amongst this year’s participants and is making its 11th overall appearance. Bethel (Ind.) is right behind with 22 victories in this, its eighth Championship appearance. Ozarks stand 18-11 overall in 12 previous tournaments. Overall, nine programs are seeking win No. 1 in this year’s Championship. Conversely, 15 teams have at least five years of Championship appearance.
 
In all, there are 31 games spanning seven days. The first three days pack in eight games each day starting at 8:30 a.m. For ticket information, call 417-335-6242.
 
The first 30 games of the Championships will be video-streamed live on the Internet, while the National Championship Game on March 17 at 8:50 p.m. CST will air live nationwide on CBS College Sports Television with Jason Knapp calling the action and Sean Farnham providing color analysis.

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MARION, Ind. -- Indiana Wesleyan University was selected to participate in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship.
The 18th Annual NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship will be held March 11-17 in Point Lookout, Missouri. The College of the Ozarks is the host site.
Indiana Wesleyan will enter the national tournament with a 27-6 record and co-champions of the Mid-Central College Conference regular season. IWU lost 74-70 in the MCC Tournament championship to then No. 3-ranked Bethel (Ind.) College.
The 32-team field consists of 21 automatic qualifiers, 10 at-large selections plus a spot for the host school.
The NAIA released its final Top-25 Coaches' Poll in conjunction with the list of national tournament qualifiers, which determined the at-large bids. Indiana Wesleyan held firm in the last poll at No. 6 to earn the first at-large selection.
Indiana Wesleyan will make it second ever appearance at the national tournament and second in three seasons. The Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight in 2006-07 before falling to eventual national champion MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University.
The Wildcats will be joined at the national tournament by two other MCC programs. Bethel (Ind.) College earned the conference's automatic bid by winning the MCC Tournament and Grace (Ind.) College received the ninth of 10 at-large berths.
The NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship will release the official bracket on Thursday.

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