March 18, 2008

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - The NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship game is set with top-seeded Bellevue (Neb.) taking on #11 Oregon Tech. Tipoff will be at 8:30 p.m. The title game marks a rematch of the 2004 championship contest in which Oregon Tech defeated the Bruins, 81-72, for their first ever title. The 17^th-Annual Divison-II Championship is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo.

This marks the second title game appearance for the Bruins who defeated St. Joseph (Vt.), #16 Aquinas (Mich.), #9 Bethel (Ind.) and #5 Northwestern to get to the championship game. Oregon Tech will play in their third championship game (lost in 1998 to Bethel (Ind.) and defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), #6 Evangel (Mo.), Grace (Ind.) and the defending champions, #2 MidAmerica Nazarene to get to the title game.

Below are the capsules for each of the championship teams:

The Championship game will be televised live by CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV), and fans can watch a video stream of the TV feed live online on a pay-per-view basis at a cost of $9.95 per game.

Bellevue (Neb.)-33-3 overall record, #1 seed (first top-seed to advance to the Final Four since 2003)
                         -has won 12 straight games coming into the Final Four (last loss on Feb. 2 to Ozarks)
                         -sixth straight tournament appearance, ninth overall (11-8 tournament record)
                         -second trip to the Final Four (1-0); lost to Oregon Tech in 2004 championship game
                        -Tournament Trail:
                             def. St. Joseph (Vt.), 111-52
                             def. #16 Aquinas (Mich.), 65-61
                             def. #9 Bethel (Ind.), 73-69
                             def. #5 Northwestern (Iowa), 70-67
        Season Averages:                                                     Tournament Averages:
74.1 ppg                                                                              79.8ppg
61.3 ppg  (4^th best in the NAIA)                                           62.3 opponent ppg   
49% FG (tied for ninth in NAIA                                            52.1% FG   (112/215)
32.8% Three Point                                                              29% Three Point   (16/55)
70.2% Free Throw                                                              67.1% Free Throw    (63/79)
+10 Rebound Margin                                                       +5 Rebound Margin                                                              

Individual Player Tournament Totals:
John Gray-67 points, 18 reb, 10 assists
Klaye Rowe-44 points, 13 reb. 8 assists
Jerrod Tucker-29 points, 11 reb., 2 assist
Hannibal Cofield-40 points, 21 reb., 6 assists
Davon White-28 points, 11 reb., 6 assists
Ben Thorn-26 points, 7 reb. 1 assist
Chance Wallesen-22 points, 8 reb., 3 assists (5/16 three pointers)

Oregon Tech -#11 Seed  30-6
                         -13-2 in last 14 games (last loss on March 1 to Evergreen State)
                         -6th straight tournament appearance, 10th overall (23-8 tournament record)
                         -third trip to the Final Four in five years, 4^th overall semifinal appearance (2-1)
                         -One National Championships (2004)
                        -Tournament Trail:
                             def. Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), 77-74
                             def. #6 Evangel (Mo.), 72-63
                             def. Grace (Ind.), 81-70
                             def. #2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 74-71
        Season Averages:                                                     Tournament Averages:
84.9 ppg  (8^th in the NAIA)                                                  76ppg
69 ppg                                                                                 67 opponent ppg   
48.9% FG (12th in NAIA)                                                    51.1% FG   (116/225)
41.7% Three Point                                                              35.3% Three Point   (18/51)
71.2% Free Throw                                                              70% Free Throw  (56/80)
+10 Rebound Margin                                                            +6.8 Rebound Margin                                                              

Individual Player Tournament Totals:
Ryan Fiegi-90 points, 22 reb., 15 assists (6/15 three pointers)
Josh Wetzler-38 points, 46 reb., 8 assists
Jguwon Hogges-41 points, 11 reb., 8 assists
Myles Daley-39 points, 20 reb., 3 assists
Ryan Beesley-35 points, 8 reb., 4 assists (4/9 three pointers)
Christian Cavanaugh-25 points, 13 reb., 5 assists