BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – With three Great Midwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball programs competing in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional, it was No. 3 seed Findlay that was able to advance into the second round.
On Saturday in the first of four quarterfinals, the Oilers shined in the second half to take care of No. 6 Drury and will face No. 2 seed Bellarmine this evening at 5 p.m. ET from Jim Wink Arena at Ferris State.
Findlay (27-4 overall), the Great Midwest regular-season champion, is one of 32 teams remaining in the original 64-team bracket.
The Oilers turned a four-point halftime deficit into an eventual rout by outscoring Drury, 50-27, in the second half. Great Midwest Player of the Year and Bevo Francis Award semifinalist Taren Sullivan scored 16 of his game-high 26 in the final half.
Sullivan was 10-of-17 from the field, made four three-point buckets and pulled down six boards.
First-team all-conference guard Martyce Kimbrough scored 13 along with Alex White, who also had five rebounds. The Oilers shot over 56 percent from the field in the second half, a marked improvement from 37 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes of play.
Bellarmine was able to eliminate No. 7 seed Truman State and improved to 29-2 overall. The Knights are ranked fourth nationally and Findlay comes in nationally-ranked at No. 13 in the NABC Coaches Poll.
Great Midwest tourney champ Ohio Dominican ran into the top seed and region host Ferris State. The Panthers held their own in the first half, trailing by just one, but the Bulldogs, ranked No. 2 nationally, pulled away for a 75-57 win.
Ferris State couldn’t miss at the free throw line, sinking all 16 attempts in the second half alone as the Bulldogs were +17 in the scoring column. Relentless half-court pressure applied by the Bulldogs forced a number of Ohio Dominican turnovers and made it difficult for a red-hot offense coming in to get tracked.
ODU closed out a memorable postseason run with a final record of 20-11 overall. Two-time Great Midwest Athlete of the Week Hasan Varence led the way with 19 points and 11 boards.
Hillsdale, ticketed as the No. 5 seed, played the nightcap and the Chargers saw their successful 21-win season come to an end against No. 4 Lake Superior State in an 81-67 final. The Chargers were an at-large selection with their position in the regional rankings.
Hillsdale was led by 16 points each from Stedman Lowry and Nick Czarnowski while Gordon Behr chipped in 13.
Lake Superior State advanced to the other semifinal game against Ferris State. The Lakers and Bulldogs will clash in the late game at 7:30 p.m. ET.