Men's Basketball | 3/9/2012 2:59:00 PM

Box Score
Courtesy of the NAIA
By Matt Bos, Media Coordinator
March 09, 2012

Box Score


POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - No. 5 McPherson (Kan.) is headed to the quarterfinals with an impressive 86-74 win over No. 12 St. Thomas (Fla.) in the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The Bulldogs advance to their second-straight round of eight and move on with a 32-3 overall record.

With the score tied at 52, McPherson went on an 11-2 scoring run, sparked by a pair of three-pointers by Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.), to take the lead for good. St. Thomas did not get any closer than seven over the final eight minutes.

McPherson shot an impressive 67% from beyond the arc, making a 2012 tournament-high 12 three-pointers. Frazier led McPherson with 23 points, including five three-pointers, and teammate Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) added 19 points, also with five three-pointers. Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) put in 17 points and shared team-high honors with eight rebounds.

St. Thomas started the game strong, owning a five-point lead until an 8-0 run put the Bulldogs up 13-10. McPherson built its lead up to 25-18 until the Bobcats came back with an 18-9 run and led by two just before the half. McPherson responded with an 11-2 run, which continued into the second half, to go back up by seven (45-38).

The Bobcats shot 39% for the game and were led by Kevin Hincapie with 23 points. Everson Lacerda totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds for the double-double. Saint Thomas, who won its first ever national tournament game on Thursday, ends the season with a 23-9 overall record.

McPherson will play No. 4 Dordt (Iowa) in Saturday's quarterfinal at 1:00 p.m. CST. Both teams will be playing for their first-ever trip to the national semifinals.