ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Nothing ever comes easy in the playoffs.
For third-seeded Findlay in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Midwest Regional on Saturday, that was the case as the Oilers were able to grit out a 71-66 win over Drury.
Sophomore Anthony Masterlasco sank the go-ahead bucket, a three from the right wing, with 41 seconds left in regulation and the shot clock expiring.
It was a beautiful sequence initiated by sophomore guard Tommy Schmock, where everything fell into place to set up Masterlasco’s heroics.
Schmock was anticipating a trap near the sideline but used a ball fake to get one defender up in the air, dribbled in and whipped a pass to a waiting Masterlasco. His high-arcing shot found the bottom of the net and gave the Oilers a 68-66 lead.
With 5:47 left in the second half, Findlay opened a nine-point lead as Alex White hit a three from the corner. Drury whittled away at the lead and went up 66-65 with 1:10 left before Masterlasco made his go-ahead shot on the next possession.
Drury missed its next four shots and free throws from Trey Smith and Ethan Linder sealed the outcome down the stretch. UF’s Aaron Overhiser stole the show in the first half as he scored in a variety of ways to finish with a team-best 17 points. Overhiser was an X factor with his skill set against the small, five-guard lineup deployed by Drury.
While doubling down on Midwest Region and conference player of the year Alex White, Overhiser had a big stretch to close the first half, including a spin move for a nice two-handed slam along the baseline.
Smith had 16 and White would finish with 11 points before fouling out. The Oilers upped their season record to 28-4 and with a win on Sunday, would be in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season.
The Findlay win sets up a regional semifinal showdown against Bellarmine. The Oilers beat Bellarmine in last year’s Midwest Regional semifinal to earn a spot in the final 16 of the tournament bracket.
Walsh also competed in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional as the No. 7 seed, but saw its season come to a close against No. 2 Bellarmine, the nation’s seventh-ranked team.
The Cavaliers had some first-half shooting woes and just couldn’t quite get tracked as their 13-game win streak was derailed by the Knights, who will face Findlay in the regional semifinals on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.
Walsh concluded its season with a 24-8 record, but a young core will remain intact going into 2019-20, including the last two Great Midwest freshmen of the year with Darryl Straughter and JT Shumate.