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LIONS HEADED TO ELITE EIGHT
AFTER 97-75 WIN OVER BENEDICT IN SOUTH REGION TITLE GAME
LAKELAND, Fla., – The University
of North Alabama men’s basketball team saved its best performance at
the South Region Tournament for the championship game Tuesday
evening, defeating Benedict 97-75 to claim the school’s eighth
regional title.
Thomas Fraise
scored 25 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and was
named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as the Lions overcame
a 41-35 half-time deficit to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite
Eight for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
After a
one-point win over Christian Brothers and an overtime victory
against Ouachita Baptist in the first two rounds, there was little
drama in the closing minutes at Jenkins Field House on the Florida
Southern campus. In the second half, back-to-back three-point shots
by Fraise erased the six-point deficit before the Lions used a 27-10
run to take control of the game. The 22-point win represented the
largest margin of victory UNA has ever had in the NCAA tournament.
Five players
reached double figures in scoring as the Lions (27-8) hit 56 percent
from the floor and held BC to just 3-of-20 from three-point range.
UNA hit 13 shots from three-point range, and got five three-pointers
from Quinn Beckwith, who finished with 16 points. Isaac Gay added 15
for the Lions, while all-tournament selections Casey Holt (12
points) and Kenny Johnson (11 points) rounded out the top scorers
for UNA.
Fraise became
the eighth UNA player to reach the 30-point plateau in an NCAA
tournament game as the Lions improved to 30-10 all-time in the big
dance, with a 20-4 mark in regional play.
North Alabama
will play Northeast Region champion Bentley on Wednesday, March 26
at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. The Falcons (33-0)
represent one of two undefeated teams at the Elite Eight. Great
Lakes Region champion Grand Valley State is also 33-0.
Printable Game Statistics - South Region
Championship - Benedict |
