Late Shot Beats IWU Women's Basketball in NAIA Semifinal
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Freshman center Catrice Mitchell scored the game-winning basket with 5.8 seconds left as Shawnee State (Ohio) University stunned the Indiana Wesleyan University women's basketball team 55-54 on Monday night in the NAIA National Championship Semifinals.
The winning shot came after Wildcat junior forward Elaine Hessel scored in the paint with 33 seconds left to give IWU a one point lead at 54-53. Shawnee State attempted a winning 3-point basket with eight seconds on the clock but hit the rim to the left. The ball was loose and Shawnee St. recovered along the baseline and passed it inside to Mitchell who scored her first two points of the game and was fouled.
Mitchell missed the free throw and Indiana Wesleyan raced the ball up the court and called timeout with 1.8 seconds on the clock.
The inbounds pass was to the top of the key but the ball came free and the Wildcats never got a shot attempt off as the Bears celebrated the semifinal victory.
Indiana Wesleyan led most of the second half and turned a six point halftime lead quickly into a 10 point (34-24) advantage just two minutes into the second half. But just as quick, Shawnee St. roared back with eight straight points in the next three and a half minutes.

The IWU lead remained between one and four points over the next seven minutes until a bucket in the paint by sophomore center Krystal Stoneking extended the advantage to 48-43 with 7:44 remaining.
Hessel hit one of two free throws at 5:19 as Indiana Wesleyan held a 49-45 advantage. But less than a minute later Shawnee St. ran off five unanswered points to capture a 50-49 lead.
Wildcat sophomore guard Stephanie Burtch would answer for IWU with a 3-point bucket in the next possession as the Wildcats regained a lead at 52-50.
Neither team would score for over three minutes until the Bears hit a huge 3-pointer to take the lead at 53-52 and 49 seconds left to play. But on the next Wildcat possession Hessel scored leading to the dramatic game-winning play for the Bears.
"We missed some easy shots and free throws. Those mistakes allowed Shawnee St. to stay close and do what they did," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Steve Brooks.
The Indiana Wesleyan defense continued to shine during the national tournament.
Shawnee St. was limited to 36.2-percent (17 of 47) shooting and 33.3-percent (5 of 15) from 3-point range.
"I thought we played really well defensively tonight," added Brooks. "But their girls never gave up and continued to play hard."
Indiana Wesleyan was led by their two junior post players in LeAnn Douglas with 13 points and Hessel with 12.
The Wildcats hit eight 3-pointers (34.8-percent) on the night and shot 37.5-percent (18 of 48) overall.
"Hopefully the girls will use this next year and be hungry," continued Brooks on having four starters returning next year after the near miss this season.
Indiana Wesleyan finishes the season 29-7 overall. IWU won the program's seventh Mid-Central College Conference regular season championship en route to their eighth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championship. The Final Four appearance is the second in program history as IWU won the 2007 national championship.
The senior class of Lindsay Waggoner and BreAnne Miller will leave a legacy behind that will never be forgotten. The pair of seniors witnessed a 119-23 overall record, one NAIA national championship, two MCC regular season championships and one MCC Tournament championship.

A Late 2nd Half Comeback Falls Short
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - The semifinals are set as defending champion Oklahoma Wesleyan defeated third-seeded Indiana Wesleyan 71-59 in the final game of the quarterfinal round of the 2010 NAIA D-II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 2010 event is being played at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.)
It looked to be a blowout from the start as the defending champions stormed out to a 14-2 and later a 28-8 lead. Indiana Wesleyan could not find the bottom of the net and scored just 10 points in the opening 10 minutes of play. The Wildcats were 0-for-9 from the three-point arc in the first half and made just 32% of their field goal attempts but still managed to rally late and trail by 11 (39-28) at intermission. Sadiel Rojas had a strong first half, leading Oklahoma Wesleyan with 14 points and six boards.
Indiana Wesleyan came out firing in the second half and pulled to within six after scoring the first six points off the half. They continued on what ended being a 22-10 run, eventually taking their first lead (50-49) on a one-hand slam off an offensive rebound by Josh Williams. Three free throws by Ryan Hetrick gave the Wildcats its largest lead at 55-51. The defending champions responded with a run of their own and after three straight three-point plays, one by Aaron Crowley and two by Steve Briggs, took the lead for good 64-55. Indiana Wesleyan did not get any closer than nine the rest of the way as they scored just four points over the final seven minutes.
Oklahoma Wesleyan shot 39% for the game, 28% from beyond the arc. Rojas was huge for the Eagles with his second straight double-double, 21 points and 14 rebounds along with several jaw-dropping dunks. Briggs scored 20 points and pulled down seven boards while Murray Shaw netted 11 points, including several key free throws down the stretch.
Indiana Wesleyan was led by Ryan Hetrick with 16 points and Zach Coverstone added 12. The Wildcats never go on track offensively, shooting 36% for the game and 14% from the three-point arc. They end the season with a 30-6 record.
Oklahoma Wesleyan improves to 30-4 and will play #15 Saint Francis in the second semifinal game on Monday, March 15 at 8:00 pm.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - (Box Score) Indiana Wesleyan forced College of the Ozarks (Mo.) into ice-cold shooting and took advantage of 15 turnovers en route to a 68-50 quarterfinal victory Saturday at the 19th Annual State Farm-NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. With the win, Indiana Wesleyan (29-6) earns a spot in Monday’s semifinals with a date against Shawnee State (Ohio) at 6 p.m. It will be the second national championship meeting between the two teams, as the Wildcats defeated Shawnee State in the first round in 2004. Ozarks’ 29-5 season comes to an end in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The meeting between Ozarks and Indiana Wesleyan was the third since 2007. Both teams have previously been responsible for knocking the other out. Indiana Wesleyan won the national title over Ozarks in 2007 and Ozarks avenged the loss in 2009 with a second-round win over the Wildcats. The first half was a see-saw battle with neither team holding more than a four-point lead until an Elaine Hessel bucket at 1:37 gave the Wildcats a six-point advantage. Heading into the break, Indiana Wesleyan was up by two (23-21) and was led by Hessel’s 14 first-half points. Indiana Wesleyan came out of the locker room on a 7-0 run courtesy of jumpers by Lindsey Waggoner and Rachel Steinbarger, followed by a 3-pointer from Kayla Thompson to go up 30-21. The Wildcats’ lead grew to as many as 18 behind 14-of-23 shooting good for a 60.9 field goal percentage and a 60 percent clip from behind the 3-point line. Indiana Wesleyan was clutch from the free-throw line by hitting 16-of-19 tries. In the second stanza, the Wildcats outscored Ozarks 45-29. After posting a blazing 58.3 percent from 3-point land the night before, Ozarks could not connect on any of its seven attempts from downtown. The Bobcats were a mere 16-of-45 from the floor for just a 35.6 field goal percentage with only four players who logged minutes turning in points. Turnovers were also a problem for Ozarks with 15 giveaways that resulted in 11 points for the Wildcats. Hessel was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including a pair of 3s and Steinbarger added 16 points to lead Indiana Wesleyan’s charge. The Wildcats finished the game shooting 44 percent from both the floor and long range. Emily Bell’s career as a Bobcat came to a close with a 19-point outing on 6-of-12 tries. She was joined in double figures by Tara LaRue’s 12 and Morgan Smith’s 11 points. Ozarks outscored Indiana Wesleyan down low with 26 points in the paint

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- An explosive second half allowed Indiana Wesleyan University to overcome a halftime deficit and advance to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship Quarterfinals.
No. 3-seed Indiana Wesleyan defeated No. 14-seed Eastern Oregon University by a 70-57 margin. Eastern Oregon held a slim 25-23 advantage at the break.
The Wildcats were limited to 30.3-percent (10 of 33) shooting during the first 20 minutes and only junior forward Will Hubertz scored more than four points. Hubertz helped the Wildcats stay within reach until halftime with 13 points and four rebounds.
"We weren't playing our game at all," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. "We forced shots and made a lot of bad decisions. I think anxiety was part of the problem. Guys were trying to do too much in a big game."
Indiana Wesleyan was a completely different team in the second half as IWU made three more shots than the first half, despite 14 less attempts. Following the first half shooting woes, Indiana Wesleyan connected on 68.4-percent (13 of 19) of their shots and continually got to the free throw line, hitting 19 of 26 (73.1-percent).
"The first half wasn't us and what we do," said Tonagel. "We played the same way for the first 34 games, why change now? We can't play selfish basketball and needed to get back to team ball."
And playing a balanced team effort in the second half is what Indiana Wesleyan did. Senior center Zach Coverstone scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half while senior guard Spencer Harris added nine of his 13 points and sophomore guard Derrick Troyer poured in eight of his 10 points in the final 20 minutes.
Tonagel continued, "They understood what went wrong in the first half. The guys just needed to have fun and be excited and to play the way we have done all season."

Coverstone followed a poor 2-for-7 shooting performance in the first half with a perfect 6-for-6 second half.
"Zach got back to doing what he does. He played extremely well in the second half and we fed him the ball. It was extremely physical on the court but Zach adjusted and made plays," said Tonagel.
Despite some struggles on the offensive end, the Wildcat defense continued to shine.
Eastern Oregon was held to 38.5-percent (20 of 52) shooting and committed 21 turnovers. EOU put up 15 3-point attempts against the No. 1-rated 3-point field goal defense in the country, and hit on just three (20.0-percent).
With the win, Indiana Wesleyan (30-5) ties the program record for wins in a season with 30, matching the 2006-07 season. The national quarterfinal appearance also matches the furthest any team in program history has gone as IWU reached the NAIA Quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009.
The Wildcats will next play in the NAIA Quarterfinals against the winner of No. 6-seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University and unseeded Hastings (Neb.) College, a pair of high-octane offense. That contest will be at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 13 in Point Lookout, Missouri.
Said Tonagel, "We have to be ready for any type of game but continue to play our kind of basketball that's gotten us here."
There are three different avenues to follow the Wildcats in the NAIA Elite Eight: live stats gamecast, a radio broadcast on WBAT 1400 AM and on local television on WIWU TV-51 on Brighthouse Cable 23.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - A top-five program at the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship was sent packing on Friday at the hands of No. 7-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University. IWU brought the season of No. 4-ranked Black Hills State (S.D.) University to a close with a 58-50 victory.
Indiana Wesleyan moves forward to the NAIA Elite Eight for the first time since the 2007 National Championship season. The quarterfinal appearance is the third ever for the program.
The No. 3-seeded Wildcats continue to stump opponents on the defensive end of the floor as the Yellow Jackets, a No. 2-seed, were held to 35.1-percent (20 of 57) shooting and 31.3-percent (5 of 16) from deep.
Although Black Hills State (26-7) committed just 10 turnovers in the contest, they continually were forced to put up contested shots.
Likewise, Indiana Wesleyan struggled all game to connect on field goals at just a 34.9-percent (15 of 43) clip and 13.3-percent (2 of 15) from 3-point range. But IWU was able to pound the ball inside and draw nearly double the fouls (21 to 11) on Black Hills State.
The Wildcats shot 23 more free throws than the Yellow Jackets and finished at 26-of-31 (83.9-percent) from the charity stripe. The Yellow Jackets were 5-of-8 (62.5-percent).
IWU junior forward Elaine Hessel led all players with 22 points and did most her damage at the foul line, finishing 10-of-10.
The first half of action was close throughout its entirety as the half remained a one possession contest from tip-off to halftime. The first 20 minutes showcased eight ties and nine lead changes. Black Hills State scored at the close of the half to take a 23-21 lead into the break.
The Yellow Jackets made it a two possession lead for the first time the entire game at the 16:54 mark with a 28-24 advantage. But Hessel scored on back-to-back possessions for the Wildcats to bring the ninth tie of the game at 15:24.
Neither team would gain a lead greater than three until IWU junior forward LeAnn Douglas scored in the paint for a 41-37 Indiana Wesleyan lead with 8:05 left on the clock. It was the largest lead for IWU at that point.
Indiana Wesleyan maintained a lead between two and four points for the next four and a half minutes until Douglas sank a pair of free throws at 3:45 for the 47-41 advantage. Following a 3-point bucket for the Yellow Jackets, the Wildcats would score the next four points as sophomore center Krystal Stoneking and sophomore guard Rachel Steinbarger each hit two free throws for a 51-44 lead.
Black Hills State would climb to within five points, but once again Stoneking and Steinbarger would respond for Indiana Wesleyan with five unanswered points. Steinbarger hit two free throws with 1:08 remaining and Stoneking hit one of two at 58 seconds for a 54-46 lead.
Stoneking would complete the small run with a fast break layup with 39 seconds remaining to put Black Hills State away and advance to the NAIA Elite Eight.
Stoneking was superb off the Wildcat bench with 12 points and nine rebounds. She was 3-of-3 from the line and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Sophomore guard Stephanie Burtch also gave IWU some excellent minutes off the bench as she hit on 3-of-6 shots for seven points.
Indiana Wesleyan (28-6) will play in the national quarterfinals at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 13 against the winner of No. 1-seed College of the Ozarks (Mo.) and No. 4-seed Morningside (Iowa) College.

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- No. 3-seed Indiana Wesleyan University captured an easy win in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship First Round with an 81-56 blowout of unseeded University of Virginia's College at Wise in Point Lookout, Missouri.
The victory advances the Wildcats to the NAIA Sweet 16 and a showdown with No. 14-seed Eastern Oregon University on Friday night. Eastern Oregon won a hard-fought 74-69 decision against Davenport (Mich.) University in the contest before the Wildcats' game.
Highlighting the First Round victory was another stellar performance on the defensive end of the court.
"The coaches stress all year about our defense," said Indiana Wesleyansenior guard Spencer Harris. "Our defense continually makes our offense and leads to easy baskets."
The Wildcats turned 22 Cavalier turnovers into 19 points, compared to just six points off turnovers for the Cavs.
"We are not as athletic as a lot of teams but we can do a lot more things because we play the hard-nosed defense and do the little things that others will not do," continued Harris. "We have great team chemistry which allows us to trust each other and know that our teammates will be there to help us out."
IWU senior center Zach Coverstone is always one of those teammates that will clean up mistakes in the paint. He blocked a pair of shots and led all players with eight rebounds.
Coverstone and the rest of the team really improved one area against Virginia-Wise (17-13) that has been an issue throughout the year: second chance points for the opposition. On Thursday night, Virginia-Wise grabbed just three offensive boards and did not record a single second chance point.
"We were really hitting in practice and crashing the boards. It's something that has been stressed all year and we were really able to take it to task tonight," Harris added about the improved play on allowing second chance opportunities.
As well as the Wildcats played defense, the offensive end saw contributions across the board as 10 different players added a field goal.
Junior forward Will Hubertz scored a game-high 17 points and was 3-of-7 from 3-point range while Coverstone manned the paint with 14 points. Senior guard Ryan Hetrick contributed 13 points with a trio of 3-pointers and Harris added 11 points.
Indiana Wesleyan (29-5) finished the night shooting 50.0-percent (29 of 58) form the floor and 40.9-percent (9 of 22) from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats will compete in their third NAIA Sweet 16 in four years. In the previous two appearances, IWU has defeated programs from the Cascades Collegiate Conference (CCC), the conference of Eastern Oregon. The Wildcats defeated Oregon Tech in 2007 and Evergreen State (Wash.) College in 2009.
Tip-off for the NAIA Sweet 16 contest on Friday will be the same as Thursday night, 6:45 p.m. ET.
There are three different avenues to follow the Wildcats in the NAIA Sweet 16: live stats gamecast, a radio broadcast on WBAT 1400 AM and on local television on WIWU TV-51 on Brighthouse Cable 23.

(From IWU Athletics' IWUWILDCATS.com)
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- In typical Indiana Wesleyan University women's basketball fashion, the Wildcats harassed Concordia (Neb.) University all night long en route to a 56-42 victory in the NAIA Division II National Championship First Round in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Bulldogs were limited to 23.7-percent (14 of 59) shooting for the night and 10.0-percent (1 of 10) from 3-point range.
 
"It was a great effort tonight all around," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Steve Brooks. "We set the tone early defensively against a very good team. If we didn't make so many mistakes on the offensive end they would not have scored as much as they did on the other end."
Concordia (21-11) was held to 28 points under their season average of 70 points. Their 42 points scored is a season worst.
The victory came against a seasoned foe in No. 6-seed Concordia, a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The GPAC sent a tournament high five teams to the 32-team field and the conference has won eight of the last nine national championships. Concordia had advanced to the quarterfinals in each of their last five national championship appearances.
No. 3-seed Indiana Wesleyan also faced a stiff defensive effort from Concordia. The Bulldogs pressed the Wildcats the entire game and continually limited the Wildcats to a short shot clock and forced 19 turnovers.
"It was a high pressure game for us, dealing with their press the whole game," said junior guard Kayla Thompson. "We just concentrated on getting to the middle of the floor and using cuts to break it."
Indiana Wesleyan (27-6) used a balanced attack as sophomore guard Rachel Steinbarger and junior forward Elaine Hessel led the team with 12 points apiece. Junior forward LeAnn Douglas added 11, freshman guard Taylor Goshert nine and Thompson finished with seven.
"We came together as a team as nobody stood out. It was a total team effort," said Hessel.
Goshert made a splash in her first game on the national stage. After entering the game for the first time, Goshert quickly hit a pair of 3-pointers and soon after that hit an old fashion 3-point play as Indiana Wesleyan pulled away from Concordia in the final 10 minutes of the opening half.
The freshman wowed the entire crowd with her hustle plays, most notably her tumbling crash to the floor over the Concordia bench.
Sophomore center Krystal Stoneking was another Wildcat to make an impact with a high-intensity first half. Although she scored only four points and pulled down three rebounds, she continually wrecked havoc in the paint altering shots, while blocking three.
Thompson added, "Our bench really stepped up tonight and gave us a huge boost. It brought more balance to the team and made us hard to guard."
Indiana Wesleyan controlled the tempo most the night and made it a half court game. IWU controlled the boards with a 43-32 advantage as Hessel led all players with 11 boards while Douglas grabbed eight and Thompson seven.
"We need to rest up on Thursday before our next game on Friday. This was a very physical game due to their constant pressing and our full effort performance," Brooks said.
Now Indiana Wesleyan has Thursday off as the First Round continues. IWU will play at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 12 in the NAIA Sweet 16 aga

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - (Box Score) Indiana Wesleyan opened up a 16-point lead to close out the first half and didn’t allow Concordia (Neb.) to get within 14, as the Wildcats rolled to a 56-42 win on Wednesday at the 19th Annual State Farm-NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. Indiana Wesleyan’s record moves to 27-6 on the season and picks up its 12th win in national championship play. The Wildcats advance to Friday’s second round to take on the winner of the Black Hills State (S.D.)/Eastern Oregon matchup. Concordia’s 10th national championship appearance comes to a close in the first round for only the third time and wrap up its season with a record of 21-11. The Wildcats knocked down half of their shots in the first half, going 11-for-22, but cooled off in the second half hitting only six of their 20 attempts. Elaine Hessel and Rachel Steinbarger teamed together to lead the charge with 12 points a piece. LeAnn Douglas also chipped in 11 points. Hessel controlled the paint, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. Taylor Goshert and Krystal Stoneking teamed together coming off the bench to add nine and fourth points, respectively. Katie Rich registered a game-high 19 points for the Bulldogs and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She was joined in double figures by Stacy Scheer with 10 points. Concordia struggled to find the long-range shot, converting just one its 10 attempts. Both teams matched stats with points in the paint (20) and fast-break points (4).

WIWU-TV BROADCASTS NAIA TOURNAMENTS
Marion, IN - WIWU-TV will once again provide extensive coverage of the NAIA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, following the teams from Indiana Wesleyan University, and this year will broadcast each IWU game live on the TV channel. WIWU-TV made special arrangements with the NAIA to simulcast the previously online-only webcast, provided for subscribers to the national tournament. “This is a first for us and the NAIA, “ said Randall E. King, Director of Broadcast Media for the university. “It won’t look quite like our usual television broadcasts, but it will be live action from all the games, bringing great basketball action home to our viewers in Grant County.” he said. The broadcasts begin on Wednesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. from Sioux City, Iowa with the IWU Women’s opening round game, against Concordia University of Nebraska. The men’s team kicks off its tournament from Branson, Missouri on Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m., facing the University of Virginia-College at Wise.
In addition to the television broadcasts, WIWU-TV also provides thorough, 24 hour coverage through a special tournament website – “Wildcat Central”, available at www.wiwutv51.com. This is the 4th year for “Wildcat Central”, which receives thousands of page visits from IWU fans across the country. The site includes player interviews, video feature stories, daily updates and links to connect with the Wildcat coverage through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. “Wildcat Central on www.wiwutv51.com is the best place to see the latest news, game summaries, statistics, photos and video clips from games, practices and off-court activities.”, says WIWU-TV promotions manager Kyle Hufford. In addition to video, photos and updates WIWU-TV will also produce special tournament editions of Wildcat Week with live interviews with the men’s coach Greg Tonagel and women’s coach Steve Brooks.
In addition to Wildcat Central, the IWU Athletics page, www.iwuwildcats.com, will offer daily pictures and updates from the tournaments. All tournament games will be broadcast live on Hoosier Radio Stations, WBAT 1400AM and WMRI 860AM.
Summary of coverage:
WIWU-TV – TV51/Brighthouse Cable 23 (other cable systems)
- live game telecasts
- updates at the top of each hour
- Tournament edition of Wildcat Week beginning Thursday, March 11

Wildcat Central Website – www.wiwutv51.com
- summaries, photos, statistics, links to live broadcasts, video highlights and interviews

WMRI/WBAT
- live broadcast of each game
- internet links to game broadcast available from “Wildcat Central” website (www.wiwutv51.com) or from WBAT website.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (Bracket PDF) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the 32-team bracket for the 19th Annual State Farm-NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship, held March 10 - 16 at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa. Tickets can be purchased by calling (712) 279-4850. Shawnee State (Ohio) and Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) will tip off the event on March 10 at 8:30 a.m. CST. The first and second round will feature eight games in three days, followed by the quarterfinals on March 13. Semifinal action takes to the court on March 15, with the National Championship taking place on March 16. The championship field features six teams that have previously won the title, led by Hastings (Neb.) and defending national champion Morningside (Iowa) with three titles each. Northwestern (Iowa) has held the banner twice. Indiana Wesleyan, Shawnee State (Ohio) and Walsh (Ohio) have each claimed one national title. Five teams will represent the Great Plains Athletic Conference and four Mid-Central College Conference squads qualify to Sioux City. The American Mideast Conference and Dakota Athletic Conference each send a trio of teams. Thirty-one games will be played out in Sioux City. The first 30 games will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV. Three different subscription plans for basketball (Men's and Women's Division I; Men's and Women's Division II) will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball tournaments for $39.95. Each of the four basketball tournaments can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. In order to view the streaming, click here. The Championship final on March 16 will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports Television with tipoff at 9 p.m. CST.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (Bracket) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the 32-team bracket for the 19th Annual Division II Men's Basketball National Championship, held March 10-16 in Point Lookout, Mo. No. 1-seed Walsh (Ohio) tops the list and comes into the event with a 28-2 record. Defending national champion and No. 6 Oklahoma Wesleyan enters with a 27-4 record.
 
For ticket information, call 417-335-NAIA. Action tips off on March 10 with games starting at 8:30 a.m. CST the first three days. In all, there are 31 games spanning seven days.
 
Walsh lands the top seed for the first time in school history. The Cavs will attempt to become the sixth No. 1 seed to win the National Championship in the history of the event. They have won nine straight games and lead the NAIA in several statistical categories, including field goal percentage (.513) and field goal percentage (.372). Last year, Oklahoma Wesleyan was the top seed en route to the trophy.
 
Unseeded College of the Ozarks (Mo.) serves as host for the 11th straight year and receives an automatic bid as the host qualifier. Ozarks is making its 14th Championship appearance, a best among the 32-team field. The Bobcats are 22-12 overall in the event. No. 2 Oregon Tech earns its highest seed in its 12th overall trip. The Hustlin' Owls are one of two teams in the current field with multiple trophies winning it all in 2008 and 2004. They boast the most Championship wins among all the current teams with a 26-9 mark. The other team with multiple Championships (three), No. 9 Bethel (Ind.), is playing in its ninth event and is 25-5 in the postseason.
 
Two conferences will send four representatives each to Point Lookout. The Cascade Collegiate Conference has No. 14 Eastern Oregon, Evergreen State (Wash.), Oregon Tech and Warner Pacific (Ore.) while the Mid-Central College Conference has Bethel, No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 15 Saint Francis (Ind.) and Spring Arbor (Mich.).
 
Of the 32 teams, there are four teams appearing in their first Championship. Davenport (Mich.), Maine-Fort Kent, McPherson (Kan.) and William Jessup (Calif.) are breaking the seal to their postseason. Five other programs are searching for their inaugural victory in Championship action.

 

Thirty-one games will be played out in Point Lookout. The first 30 games will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV. Three different subscription plans for basketball (Men's and Women's Division I; Men's and Women's Division II) will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball tournaments for $39.95. Each of the four basketball tournaments can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. In order to view the streaming, click here.
 
The Championship final on March 16 will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports Television with tip-off at 7 p.m. CST.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the field of 32 teams for the 19th Annual Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship, held March 10-16 in Point Lookout, Mo. The College of the Ozarks (Mo.) serves as host for the 11th straight year and receives an automatic bid as the host qualifier.
 
College Fanz Sports Network, the world's largest online college sports community launched by ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen, will offer live video streaming broadcasts of the tournament selections starting Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. CST. This broadcast will be available, live, free and on-demand, at http://www.CollegeFanz.com.
 
Ozarks is making its 14th Championship appearance, a best among the 32-team field. The Bobcats are playing in their 11th straight postseason and are 22-12 overall in the tournament. Oregon Tech, national champions in 2008, sports the most Championship wins among all the current teams with a 26-9 mark. This Championship is the Hustlin’ Owls’ 12th overall trip and eighth straight.
 
Bethel (Ind.), the At-Large #3 team, is 25-5 in the postseason in its ninth appearance. The defending national champion, Oklahoma Wesleyan, heads to its third straight Championship. Two conferences will send four representatives each to Point Lookout. The Cascade Collegiate Conference has Eastern Oregon, Evergreen State (Wash.), Oregon Tech and Warner Pacific (Ore.) while the Mid-Central College Conference has Bethel, Indiana Wesleyan, St. Francis (Ind.) and Spring Arbor (Mich.).
 
Of the 32 teams, there are four teams appearing in their first Championship. Davenport (Mich.), Maine-Fort Kent, McPherson (Kan.) and William Jessup (Calif.) are breaking the seal to their postseason. Five other programs are searching for victory No. 1 in Championship action.
 
The 32-team field is comprised of 20 automatic qualifiers from NAIA affiliated conferences and association of independents, plus the host and 11 at-large selections, which are determined using the final Top 25 rating released on Feb. 22.

 

Thirty-one games will be played out in Point Lookout. The first 30 games will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV. Three different subscription plans for basketball (Men’s and Women’s Division I; Men’s and Women’s Division II) will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball tournaments for $39.95. Each of the four basketball tournaments can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. In order to view the streaming, click here.
 
The Championship final on March 16 will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports Television with tip-off at 7 p.m. CST.

MARION, Ind. -- Indiana Wesleyan University men's basketball defeated Bethel (Ind.) College 78-68 for the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament championship on Tuesday night in front of a full capacity crowd in Luckey Arena.

No. 3-ranked Indiana Wesleyan completes MCC dominance this season with the MCC Tournament championship in addition to the MCC regular season championship. IWU is 28-5 this season and has won 23 of its last 25 games.

"This is a resilient team that won the championship tonight," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. "We never gave up when we started the season 5-3. Every player has sacrificed for the team."

The Wildcats overcame No. 10-ranked Bethel in the same way they won all season, with defense.

"Our defensive intensity was huge tonight," continued Tonagel. "We showed a lot of effort, especially from Spencer (Harris) and Zach (Coverstone)."
Bethel entered play on Tuesday night seventh in shooting percent in NAIA Division II at 49.1-percent. But Indiana Wesleyan limited Bethel to just 38.8-percent (26 of 67) shooting and 25.0-percent (4 of 16) from 3-point range.

While Bethel struggled on the offensive end, Indiana Wesleyan thrived. IWU shot 55.6-percent (30 of 54) from the floor and committed just seven turnovers in the game.
The Wildcats never trailed throughout the contest after scoring the first six points of the night. IWU increased the lead to eight points on multiple occasions following the hot start, but the Pilots were able to draw within two points (27-25) as late as 4:37 before halftime.

But over the final 3:47 in the first half, four Wildcats scored en route to an 11-2 run as IWU headed into the break up 38-27.
Indiana Wesleyan senior center Zach Coverstone hit one of two free throws two minutes into the second half as IWU earned their largest lead of the night at 14 (43-29). The Indiana Wesleyan lead remained at least eight points until Bethel senior guard Ryne Lightfoot connected on a pair of free throws with 9:13 left to bring the score to 56-50.

The Pilots would get within five points on three different occasions with the last coming on a field goal by junior guard Caleb Laidig with 5:44 remaining on the clock.
IWU senior guard Ryan Hetrick would miss a 3-point chance on the next Wildcat possession, giving the Pilots a chance to make it a one possession game. But Laidig missed a field goal chance and IWU freshman guard George Jones IV answered with an old fashioned 3-point play for a 64-56 advantage and 4:49 remaining.

Lightfoot would score quickly on the other end but Hetrick and senior guard Spencer Harris hit layups on back-to-back possessions for a 68-58 Wildcat lead.
After Bethel closed to within six points at 70-64, Coverstone hit a critical basket in the paint for a 72-64 lead and 2:33 left. Indiana Wesleyan would put the game away at the free throw line with 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the game's final 2:08. Tonagel said, "Bethel made their run in the second half. But our seniors stood together and started their own. It was a great team effort and it started on the defensive end."

Coverstone came up huge in his final game at Luckey Arena with a game-high 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting. He also put up game highs of nine rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots and three steals.

IWU senior guard Spencer Harris added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four assists and no turnovers. Junior forward Will Hubertz poured in 13 and sophomore guard Derrick Troyer had 12.
Indiana Wesleyan committed only seven turnovers on the night while passing out 15 assists. Bethel did out-rebound IWU by a 38-to-31 margin, while collecting 17 offensive rebounds.
BC senior forward Tyler Brown had a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds while Lightfoot scored 15 points before fouling out.
Three times the Wildcats have advanced to the MCC Tournament championship game prior to this season, in 1994, 2007 and 2009. Each time the Wildcats fell just short on the road. But the Wildcats broke through this season with 1,500 fans at Luckey Arena for the program's first conference tournament title.
"It's awesome!" said Hetrick. "This group of guys is a family. Being the first tournament champion in history is really important to us."

Coverstone added, "What an awesome season. It's really special being a part of turning this program around."
The senior class of Coverstone, Harris, Hetrick and Josh Williams has the top three winning seasons and four of the top five in program history. The quartet has a record of 110-28 with the program's first three MCC championships and NAIA National Championship appearances.
"We are going to have fun at the national tournament," said Coverstone. "You don't get very many opportunities to compete at that level. We just need to play loose like we have been."
Indiana Wesleyan will learn its first round opponent on Wednesday when the NAIA releases the Division II 32-team National Championship bracket. The NAIA National Championship will be contested on March 10-16 in Point Lookout, Missouri.

MARION, Ind. -- The Mid-Central College Conference has chosen Indiana Wesleyan University junior forward Elaine Hessel as the MCC Player of the Year to highlight the MCC postseason honors.
Hessel is joined by junior guard Kayla Thompson as a member of the All-MCC First Team while head coach Steve Brooks was honored by his peers as the MCC Coach of the Year.
All the accolades come a day after Indiana Wesleyan clinched the outright MCC regular season championship and the No. 1-seed in the upcoming MCC Tournament. IWU is currently 25-5 this year and ranked No. 8 in NAIA Division II.
Hessel becomes the first Wildcat to be named MCC Player of the Year since Liz Howerth in 2006-07. The All-Conference selection for Hessel is the second in her career. Last season she was named All-MCC Second Team which led to a NAIA All-American Honorable Mention selection.
The Plymouth, Indiana native led the MCC in scoring this season at a clip of 19.6 points per game, good for eighth in NAIA Division II. Her 61.0-shooting percentage also led the conference and is third in the country.
Hessel scored double figures in 28 of 30 games this season, including 16 games with 20 or more points and two games with 30 or more points.
She also leads the team in rebounding with 5.1 boards per game. Hessel has shot 41.0-percent from 3-point range and 81.0-percent from the free throw line.
Thompson made large strides this season to be named All-MCC First Team. Last season as a sophomore, Thompson was named All-MCC Honorable Mention.
But at times this season Thompson carried the Wildcats with her 3-point shooting. She connected on 83 3-point field goals which was second in the MCC and sixth in NAIA Division II, made 2.8 3-point shots per game which was second in the MCC and 13th in the nation while shooting 41.5-percent from beyond the arc, good for third in the MCC and 18th in the country.
The Indianapolis, Indiana native was second on the team with 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Thompson led IWU with 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals.
Brooks was tagged MCC Coach of the Year after guiding the Wildcats to their seventh MCC regular season title in program history. Indiana Wesleyan won the outright title with a 14-2 record and earned the No. 1-seed in the MCC Tournament in the process.
Brooks earns the honor for the fourth time in his career and the first since being named MCC and NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2006-07.
Indiana Wesleyan will host No. 8-seed Spring Arbor (Mich.) University in the MCC Tournament First Round at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23 in Luckey Arena.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Walsh University (Ohio) ends the regular season as the No. 1 team in the final edition of the 2009-2010 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 poll, announced Monday by the NAIA office. For the third straight poll, Walsh rules the ranking, this time with 15 of the 16 possible first-place votes and 436 total points.
 
Sixteen Division II Men's Basketball Conference Tournaments are slated to get underway this week and all of the action can be tracked by clicking here. The field for the Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship will be announced on March 2. The bracket will be announced live through College Fanz Sports Network on March 3 starting at 3:30 p.m. CST. The exclusive and free video streaming broadcast can be viewed at www.collegefanz.com.
 
Walsh is an NAIA-best 27-2 overall and won the American Mideast South Division with a 15-1 mark. The Cavs will take on Notre Dame (Ohio) on Friday in the conference tournament. Walsh has won eight straight games overall and ends the regular season with 35 straight home wins.
 
Oregon Tech holds at No. 2 for the second straight week. Also, the Hustlin’ Owls captured the remaining first-place vote with 421 total points. Oregon Tech secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament with a 26-4 overall record. Winners in 15 of its last 16 games, Oregon Tech faces the College of Idaho on Tuesday in the league tournament first round.
 
Moving up to its highest ranking this year, No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan tallied 393 total points. The Wildcats own the No. 1 seed in the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament, beginning on Wednesday. Indiana Wesleyan won its season finale, 65-63 against Taylor (Ind.) on Feb. 20. The win improved the Wildcats to 25-5 overall and they now have won six of their last seven games. They host Huntington (Ind.), the No. 8 seed, on Wednesday.
 
Oklahoma Wesleyan holds at the No. 4 spot with 391 total points. After a 91-67 win over York (Neb.) on Feb. 20, the Eagles have won three straight after a rough 2-3 stretch in early February. After the win last Saturday, Oklahoma Wesleyan is 26-3 overall. Heading into the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday, the Eagles face No. 23 Ozarks (Mo.) at the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Bellevue (Neb.).
 
No. 5 Indiana-Southeast falls two spots after a 88-72 loss to Indiana East on Feb. 20. Despite the setback, Indiana Southeast has enjoyed a top-five ranking in each of the last six polls. Indiana Southeast recorded 383 total points this week. The Grenadiers, who are 22-4 overall, host St. Louis College of Pharmacy on Tuesday in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament First Round. The Grenadiers are the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament.
 
The Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC) and Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) each place four teams in the Top 25 – from the MCCC: Indiana Wesleyan, No. 10 Bethel (Ind.), No. 15 Saint Francis (Ind.), and No. 21 Spring Arbor (Mich.). The CCC has Oregon Tech, No. 13 Eastern Oregon, No. 20 Warner Pacific (Ore.) and No. 25 Evergreen State (Wash.).
 
No. 23 Ozarks (Mo.), hosts for the Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship in Point Lookout, Mo., is a newcomer to the poll. The Bobcats are 20-9 overall and have won five of their last six.
 
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents.

NAIA Announces Video-Streaming Schedule for 2010 Winter National Championships
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced Tuesday a partnership with NeuLion to exclusively stream live video and audio of the 2010 NAIA Wrestling National Championships and all four NAIA Basketball National Championships, including the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship, the Division I Women's Basketball National Championship, the Division II Men's Basketball National Championship and the State Farm-NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship.
 
These events can be ordered by clicking here. All basketball events can be viewed for a per-day subscription fee, a Tournament fee or an All-Tournament fee that includes all four basketball tournaments. The wrestling event can be viewed for a per-day subscription fee.
 
"Once again, the NAIA is proud to work with its Digital Media Partner, NeuLion to stream Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and, for the second year, to broadcast our Wrestling Championships event live over the Internet. This is an exciting opportunity for NAIA fans across the country," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "This service allows the NAIA to broaden its fan base and bring new attention to the competition and quality of play going on in the NAIA."
 
The Division II Men's and Women's Basketball National Championships are scheduled to run from March 10-16 with 31 games of action. Both Division I National Championships are slated for March 17-23 with a total of 31 games at each site. The first 30 games will be video-streamed by NeuLion while the Championship final is set to be televised live nationally.
 
Three different subscription plans for basketball will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball tournaments for $39.95. Each of the four basketball tournaments can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95.
 
Users must have the latest version of Windows Media Player, which you can download for free here. Before a user subscribes to any package, make sure to test your computer, which you can do by clicking here. For any technical assistance, please click here.
 
"We are pleased to provide the NAIA with streaming services for their men's and women's basketball championships for a fourth consecutive year and are excited about adding the wrestling championships to the NAIA's streaming schedule," said Chris Wagner, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of NeuLion. "We pride ourselves in being able to connect fans to these high profile tournaments and deliver a best-in-class service."
 
NeuLion is a global leader in delivering live and on-demand multimedia content via the Internet and also provides a complete sports media and fan-centric web platform that includes e-commerce tools, ticketing solutions and a hosting service. With over 300 professional and collegiate sports properties and more than 200 international television channels, NeuLion offers a global audience the ability to stay connected to their favorite news, sports and entertainment content anywhere in the world.