Azusa Pacific Bows Out
Reggie George scored 22 points, and Robert Morris College (Ill.) rallied from a six-point deficit in overtime to defeat Azusa Pacific, 94-91, in the quarterfinals of the NAIA men’s championship at Kansas City, Mo.
With Robert Morris (31-3) trailing, 91-85, with two minutes left in overtime, George, a junior center, started the comeback with a basket and later scored inside to pull his team to within one at 91-90.
After a miss by Azusa Pacific, Robert Morris held for a last shot, but guard James Parker was fouled with 10.5 seconds left. Parker made both free throws for a 92-91 lead.
Robert Morris then forced turnovers on Azusa’s next two possessions and made two free throws for the final margin.
Tristan King led Azusa Pacific (30-6) with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
*
Kelly Schmidt scored 27 points to lead the Vanguard University women’s team to a 69-53 victory over Oklahoma Baptist in the quarterfinals of the NAIA women’s championship at Jackson, Tenn.
Vanguard (31-1), making its second semifinal appearance, will face Lubbock Christian on Monday.
Vanguard fell behind 10-4 but recovered to take a 28-25 halftime lead. The Lions shot 64% from the field in the second half to pull away.
*
Courtney Jackson made two free throws with 1:07 left in overtime and the Master’s College women’s team held on for a 57-56 win over Freed-Hardeman in an NAIA quarterfinal game.
The Master’s (28-7) will next play Union in a semifinal game Monday.
Angela Gimeno led the Master’s with 18 points.
*
TonTon Balenga’s three-point basket with two seconds left lifted Virginia Wesleyan to the NCAA Division III men’s national championship and its 28th consecutive victory, 59-56, over Wittenberg at Salem, Va.
Balenga led the Marlins (30-3) with 22 points.
The Tigers (30-4) were led by Dane Borchers with 15 points.
*
Evansville basketball player Eric Ottens died in a crash in Iowa when he ran a stop sign and his car was struck by another, police said.
The 23-year-old player died Friday night in the crash about 10 miles south of Dubuque, said Sgt. Kevin Niemer of the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office.
Ottens, a 6-foot-6 forward, was injured for much of the season, playing in only 10 games.