[Box Score]
CEDARVILLE, Ohio - On Friday night, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament tipped off at the Callan Athletic Center on the campus of top seed Cedarville University.
In the first semifinal, #3 Trevecca Nazarene University faced off with #2 Central State University. During the regular-season, the Marauders secured a pair of victories, including an exciting overtime win at home against the Trojans. However, on Friday night the Trojans sought revenge and came away with the 79-75 victory to advance to the G-MAC Championship Finals.
Trevecca Nazarene jumped out to an early 13-7 lead behind three-straight 3-pointers by the Trojans. Central State rallied to claim their first lead of the game since the first two minutes of the game putting together a 9-0 run to take a 29-27 advantage with four minutes left in the first half. The two teams went into the break tied at 36-36, with DeMarkus Isom-Jones leading all scorers with 11 points, while the Trojans were led by Peyton Henry’s nine points.
In the second half, the teams traded buckets before Central was able to gain its biggest lead at five points with just under 12 minutes left in the contest. However, a three-pointer by Nick Drake and a pair of free throws by Jordan Bedwell quickly tied the game at 56-56 with 11 minutes remaining.
As the possessions became more important each time down the court, Central State took a slim one-point lead at the free throw line, before Marquise Rudolph captured a big offensive rebound and gave the Trojans the lead at 71-70 with just under five remaining. The teams traded leads on a dunk by Central’s Lee Tabb, followed by a driving lay-up by TNU’s Drake.
With the game tied at 73-73, a big three-pointer from the corner by Henry gave the Trojans a three-point advantage with 1:30 left. With the ball in hand, Central’s Lee Tabb drove the baseline where Christopher Elliott was waiting, taking the charge and giving the ball back to Trevecca with 15 seconds to go and a two-point lead. CSU fouled quickly and Elliott converted on both free throws, basically sealing the victory and a trip to the G-MAC Championship Finals.
Drake and Tabb each scored 20 points to lead their teams, while Tabb recorded a double-double with ten boards. J.P. Nyadaro posted a double-double for TNU with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Henry and Rudolph joined Drake and Nyadaro in double-figures with 15 points each.
Charles McNeal and Isom-Jones scored 19 and 18 points respectively for the Marauders, while Pillip Gates handed out a game-high 10 assists.
Trevecca Nazarene advances to the finals, where they will face the winner of the second semifinal - either #1 seed Cedarville University or #4 Urbana University.
Post-game reaction (courtesy of @TNUsports)