Eagles News
03.18.2009 - [Men's Basketball]
Photo Courtesy: Shelley Minardo
KANSAS CITY, MO ---Concordia
used four different goal-scorers in a 10-0 rally that stretched a
four-point lead into a 54-40 advantage with 9:32 remaining in the
second half, as the No. 12-seeded Eagles downed Oklahoma Christian,
70-55.
With the win, Concordia moves on to the second round of the 2009 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Tournament, where the Eagles take on Mountain State (WV) Friday morning (March 20), starting at 8:45 a.m. (PST) at Municipal Auditorium.
Concordia and Mountain State have an unique history in head-to-head competition, as the Eagles downed the Cougars to win the national title game in 2003, and Mountain State won the 2004 national crown at Concordia's expense.
"The first win in this tournament is the hardest part," head coach Ken Ammann said. "The last five times we've played here, we either finished in the first round or the finals, so it's something to cherish. Half of the teams go home on the first day, so you don't want to be one of them."
Double-digit scoring efforts from four Eagles, including 17 points from Kingsley Costain, helped overcome an impressive double-double from Oklahoma Christian's Jason Taylor, who complimented 21 points with 11 rebounds.
Cameron Gliddon scored 13 points, as Ben Smith and Andre Murillo netted 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the win. Concordia buried 10 three-pointers, including five treys from Costain on the afternoon
Oklahoma Christian, which ends its season at 23-10, went into the locker room trailing by a 31-28 margin thanks to 11 first-half points from Costain, as the Eagles went 6-for-16 from the three-point line in the opening half.
Oklahoma Christian shaved the Concordia advantage to just two points, at 36-34, with a jumper by David Jackson five minutes into the second half, and Taylor hit a field goal to make the score 44-40 with 13:46 remaining on the game clock.
That was as close as Oklahoma Christian would get, however, as Dominic Cruz-Duncan hit the free-throw that jump-started a 10-0 run to put Concordia out ahead by a score of 54-40.
Overall, the Eagles capitalized on 19 turnovers from Oklahoma Christian and committed just eight give-aways in return.
"We were deeper than Oklahoma Christian, and that showed in the second half," Ammann said. "They're a team who shoots well, is well-coached and always prepares well. The game could easily have gone in the opposite direction if they had been able to play their game, but we had some good stops and kept them out of sync--especially in the second half"
Cruz-Duncan and Terrence Worthy each finished with five points, as Worthy tallied up a team-high six assists.
The first-round win removes the sting of Concordia's round one ousting at the hands of Campbellsville (KY) in the 2008 NAIA Tournament.
The Eagles improve to 15-5 all-time at College Basketball's Toughest Tournament.
Click here to view a mini gallery of photos from the game.
Concordia All-Time at NAIA National Championships
With the win, Concordia moves on to the second round of the 2009 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Tournament, where the Eagles take on Mountain State (WV) Friday morning (March 20), starting at 8:45 a.m. (PST) at Municipal Auditorium.
Concordia and Mountain State have an unique history in head-to-head competition, as the Eagles downed the Cougars to win the national title game in 2003, and Mountain State won the 2004 national crown at Concordia's expense.
"The first win in this tournament is the hardest part," head coach Ken Ammann said. "The last five times we've played here, we either finished in the first round or the finals, so it's something to cherish. Half of the teams go home on the first day, so you don't want to be one of them."
Double-digit scoring efforts from four Eagles, including 17 points from Kingsley Costain, helped overcome an impressive double-double from Oklahoma Christian's Jason Taylor, who complimented 21 points with 11 rebounds.
Cameron Gliddon scored 13 points, as Ben Smith and Andre Murillo netted 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the win. Concordia buried 10 three-pointers, including five treys from Costain on the afternoon
Oklahoma Christian, which ends its season at 23-10, went into the locker room trailing by a 31-28 margin thanks to 11 first-half points from Costain, as the Eagles went 6-for-16 from the three-point line in the opening half.
Oklahoma Christian shaved the Concordia advantage to just two points, at 36-34, with a jumper by David Jackson five minutes into the second half, and Taylor hit a field goal to make the score 44-40 with 13:46 remaining on the game clock.
That was as close as Oklahoma Christian would get, however, as Dominic Cruz-Duncan hit the free-throw that jump-started a 10-0 run to put Concordia out ahead by a score of 54-40.
Overall, the Eagles capitalized on 19 turnovers from Oklahoma Christian and committed just eight give-aways in return.
"We were deeper than Oklahoma Christian, and that showed in the second half," Ammann said. "They're a team who shoots well, is well-coached and always prepares well. The game could easily have gone in the opposite direction if they had been able to play their game, but we had some good stops and kept them out of sync--especially in the second half"
Cruz-Duncan and Terrence Worthy each finished with five points, as Worthy tallied up a team-high six assists.
The first-round win removes the sting of Concordia's round one ousting at the hands of Campbellsville (KY) in the 2008 NAIA Tournament.
The Eagles improve to 15-5 all-time at College Basketball's Toughest Tournament.
Click here to view a mini gallery of photos from the game.
Concordia All-Time at NAIA National Championships
| Year | Finish | Opponent | Score |
| 2007-08 | First Round | Campbellsville (KY) | L, 63-72 |
| 2006-07 | Runner-Up | Oklahoma City | L, 71-79 |
| 2004-05 | First Round | Carroll (MT) | L, 72-85 |
| 2003-04 | Runner-Up | Mountain State (WV) | L, 70-74 |
| 2002-03 | National Champion | Mountain State (WV) | W, 88-84 |
| 1998-99 | Quarterfinals | Life (GA) | L, 67-83 |
