POINT LOOKOUT, Mo.--Unseeded McPherson continued its Cinderella run at the 2011 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship with a 77-58 victory over Warner Pacific (Ore.). The 2011 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
The Bulldogs (21-13) advance to the quarterfinals in their second national tournament appearance. On Thursday, McPherson picked up its first ever win at the tournament with a 66-60 upset victory over sixth-seeded Embry-Riddle (Fla.). The Bulldogs made 9 of their 12 total three-pointers in the first half.
Aaron Frazier led McPherson with 18 points and was 7-for-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from behind the perimeter. Aaron Jackson finished with 15 points and Samson Shivers added 10. Frazier and Jordan Crawford each grabbed nine rebounds while Frazier threw a game-high four assists.
The game was close early as the lead changed hands six times in the first nine minutes. Warner Pacific had its last lead of the game at 13:07 mark when it led 8-7. The Bulldogs responded with a 5-0 run until WPC cut the lead to 12-11 with 11:09 left in the first half. McPherson then went on an 11-0 run and coasted from there. A three-pointer from Jackson with 2:53 remaining in the first stanza gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the half, 34-21. Frazier ended the half with a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to give McPherson a 41-29 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs continued their run and began the second half outscoring Warner Pacific, 18-3, over the first 10 minutes of play. A free-throw by Adam Bruner with 8:51 left in the game gave McPherson its largest lead of the contest, 64-35.
The Knights (20-11) were led by Traevone Bowie's 14 points. The junior made 5 of his 15 attempts from the field. Webster Moreland ended his collegiate career with 13 points and nine rebounds.
McPherson ended the game with a 36-29 rebound advantage and a 37-18 lead in points off of the bench. Warner Pacific was held to 33 percent shooting from the field, compared to the Bulldogs' 47 percent. McPherson made 12 of its 25 three-pointers and WPC hit just 8 of its 27 shots from behind the arc.
McPherson, winners of 10 of their last 12, advances to Saturday's quarterfinals and will play #3 Cornerstone (Mich.) for a berth into the national semifinals. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 15, 2011.
