OWENSBORO, Ky. – The stage is set for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday following the completion of today’s semifinal contests in the Sportscenter.
Saturday’s final at 1 p.m. CST will feature top seed and tournament host Kentucky Wesleyan vs. No. 3 Trevecca Nazarene.
Kentucky Wesleyan toppled No. 4 Davis & Elkins, 100-69, while third-seeded Trevecca Nazarene upset No. 2 seed Alderson Broaddus, 77-55.
The winner of the G-MAC Championship will receive an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Division II Championship Midwest Regional.
A live video stream with audio commentary and live stats for tomorrow’s championship game will be provided on G-MACSports.com.
#1 Kentucky Wesleyan 100
#4 Davis & Elkins 69
Box Score
The Panthers showed off their full offensive arsenal and then some, matching the century mark in scoring during the final seconds to advance to the G-MAC Championship final for the second year in a row.
In front of the home crowd, Kentucky Wesleyan controlled the tempo from the opening tip, knocking in three-point shots from all over the floor to grab early momentum.
The Panthers displayed their athleticism as Langford, Jermaine Morgan and Basil Deveaux down the stretch, threw in some crowd-pleasing slams. An alley-oop in the final seconds from Adam Stanford brought the fans out of their seats as well.
Three-time G-MAC Athlete of the Week C.J. Blackwell netted 25 points (including six three-pointers) on 9-of-16 shooting, Ken-Jah Bosley poured in 18 and Devin Langford had 14.
After scoring 35 points vs. Cedarville, D&E’s Kevin Bracy-Davis was held in check after scoring seven on 3-of-10 shooting. The Senators were led by Aleks Vasiljevic and his 18 points and six boards.
KWC shot over 55 percent from the field in the game.
#3 Trevecca Nazarene 77
#2 Alderson Broaddus 55
Box Score
Playing on 24 hours of rest, Trevecca Nazarene pushed its way into the G-MAC Championship final as it eliminated Alderson Broaddus from the tournament bracket.
It was a battle of the 2015 and 2016 G-MAC Players of the Year between Malcolm Tatum (AB) and Byron Sanford (TNU).
Tatum returned from an MCL injury sustained earlier in the year that has sidelined him for most of the season. His first shot hoisted was a made three.
The Trojans, like Kentucky Wesleyan, shot 55 percent from the field and held a 16-point lead at the intermission.
Jalen Palm scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half while Percy Blade and Tyrell Corlew each had 15 as well.
TNU’s Slay Chol pleased his teammates with a three-point play, a three from the wing and a two-handed slam dunk.
The Trojans went on a 16-2 run to take a 22-point lead with 8:01 to go. TNU led by as many as 25 in this one.