Eagles News
03.20.2009 - [Men's Basketball]
Photo Courtesy: Shelley Minardo
KANSAS CITY, MO --- Phil
Friesen boasted a career-high 25 points, going 5-for-5 from three-point
range, as Concordia held off Mountain State (WV), 85-79, to advance to
the Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National
Championship Quarterfinals.
Concordia's total of 13 three-pointers tie a season high for the Eagles, who improve to 28-6 and move on to play Rocky Mountain (MT), who downed Central Methodist (MO) by a score of 71-62 this afternoon in Second Round action.
All five of Mountain State's starters finished in double-digits, led by 19 points from Nick Aldridge, as the Cougars end their season with a mark of 28-5. The two teams had each swapped a victory against the other in the NAIA title games of 2003 and 2004.
"Our two programs go back a bit, they are a great, great team," head coach Ken Ammann said. "I think that they're better now than when we saw them in the finals in 2004. It's a shame to have to see a program like that in only the second round, because they were just that good."
Led by Friesen's effort, Concordia shot 50 percent (31-for-62) for the game, including a mark of 43 percent (13-for-30) from three-point range. The Cougars, meanwhile shot 54 percent (32-for-59) from the field, including 27 percent (3-for-11) from long-distance.
The lead changed hands six times throughout its entirety, as All-GSAC selection Terrence Worthy netted 14 points, and Ben Smith and Cameron Gliddon each stepped up to score 12 points in the victory. Concordia out-scored the Cougars, 26-8 from the bench.
"This was a great team effort," Ammann said. "This tournament isn't about just playing well, it's about putting your heart on the line in each game, and that's what we have to do again tomorrow. This team has prepared well and done everything right, and so the players can hold their heads high no matter the result. I'm very proud of them."
Mountain State came out with a 5-0 run to open up the second half that tied the game up at 41-41, and a free-throw by Bo Harris promptly un-tied the game and gave the Cougars their first lead since they led, 5-3, early in the first half.
Concordia responded with a 7-2 run that featured five points from Friesen and regained the lead for the Eagles at 48-43, as the two teams hunkered down for a tight game the rest of the way.
The Eagles led by a 55-50 margin before Tony Brown buried the Cougars' first trey of the game and Brown scored a layup that followed a block by Nick Aldridge to tie the game at 55-55 with 12:54 remaining.
The Cougars grabbed a 57-55 lead when Marcus Hunter regained control of the ball just in time to sink a layup, and the Eagles turned the ball over on the following possession to set the table for a fast-break layup by Anthony Pigram that stretched the Mountain State lead to 59-55 with 10:46 left.
Trailing, 61-57, Friesen nailed back-to-back treys to give Concordia the lead, at 63-61 with just under nine minutes on the clock, and Friesen tipped in his next shot to give Concordia a lead again, at 65-63 before he found Worthy on the wing for a triple that put the Eagles ahead, 68-63.
Concordia held onto a three-point advantage, at 73-70 thanks to a trey from Gliddon and a pull-up jumper from Friesen, and Worthy sunk a three-pointer that was followed by a Gliddon tip-in to make the score 78-70 with 3:43 left to play.
The Eagles led by no less than four points, until a long triple by Brown shaved the Concordia lead to 81-79 with 45 seconds left. Brown became the second Cougar to foul out of the game on the next play, however, and Worthy later hit a free throw to make the score 82-79.
Friesen then iced the game with a 2-for-2 showing at the line to stretch the lead to 84-79, and Smith went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe with two seconds left to make the final score 85-79.
"Phil had a great game," Ammann said. "He stepped up in big situations with clutch three-pointers, which wasn't surprising based on the way he's played so far this season. He's one of the best pure competitors I've ever coached or even seen play the game."
In the first half, Concordia knocked down six three-pointers, including three of its first four attempts, as Friesen, Smith and Gliddon each buried a trey to build up an 18-9 lead in the early going.
Smith scored eight of the Eagles' first 16 points, but the Cougars picked up their offensive game when Andrew Lee hit a fast-break layup to spark a 5-0 rally and bring Mountain State within four points, at 18-14.
Worthy hit his first triple of the game, and Andre Murillo scored on a turnaround jumper to stretch the lead to 23-14, and Eric Beal connected with Gliddon for a crisp Ally-Oop to put Concordia ahead by a 29-22 tally following a Cougar offensive foul with 9:16 to play.
Beal then hit his first three-pointer of the game to give Concordia its first 10-point lead of the game, at 34-24 with 7:01 remaining, and Friesen scored the game's next bucket with a layup that put Concordia ahead by a dozen points, at 36-24, and prompted Mountain State to call a timeout with 4:46 on the clock.
Concordia put Mountain State in a 13-point hole when Friesen hit another wide-open triple from the wing to make it a 39-26 contest, but the Cougars answered with a 10-2 rally that included a pair of offensive fouls and two missed foul shots by the Eagles, as the Cougars pulled to within five points, at 41-36, on a half-ending dunk by Harris.
Concordia and Mountain State shot comparable first-half percentages of .515 (17-for-33) and .517 (15-for-29) from the field, as the Eagles posted a 40 percent (6-for-15) clip from beyond the arc and held the Cougars to an 0-for-2 showing from three-point range.
Concordia's bench also out-scored Mountain State's reserves by a 14-6 in the game's first 20 minutes, as five Eagles hit at least on trey in the half.
Concordia improves to 16-5 all-time at College Basketball's Toughest Tournament, as the Eagles advance to the Quarterfinals for the fifth time in seven all-time appearances at the NAIA Tournament.
Concordia All-Time at NAIA National Championships
Concordia's total of 13 three-pointers tie a season high for the Eagles, who improve to 28-6 and move on to play Rocky Mountain (MT), who downed Central Methodist (MO) by a score of 71-62 this afternoon in Second Round action.
All five of Mountain State's starters finished in double-digits, led by 19 points from Nick Aldridge, as the Cougars end their season with a mark of 28-5. The two teams had each swapped a victory against the other in the NAIA title games of 2003 and 2004.
"Our two programs go back a bit, they are a great, great team," head coach Ken Ammann said. "I think that they're better now than when we saw them in the finals in 2004. It's a shame to have to see a program like that in only the second round, because they were just that good."
Led by Friesen's effort, Concordia shot 50 percent (31-for-62) for the game, including a mark of 43 percent (13-for-30) from three-point range. The Cougars, meanwhile shot 54 percent (32-for-59) from the field, including 27 percent (3-for-11) from long-distance.
The lead changed hands six times throughout its entirety, as All-GSAC selection Terrence Worthy netted 14 points, and Ben Smith and Cameron Gliddon each stepped up to score 12 points in the victory. Concordia out-scored the Cougars, 26-8 from the bench.
"This was a great team effort," Ammann said. "This tournament isn't about just playing well, it's about putting your heart on the line in each game, and that's what we have to do again tomorrow. This team has prepared well and done everything right, and so the players can hold their heads high no matter the result. I'm very proud of them."
Mountain State came out with a 5-0 run to open up the second half that tied the game up at 41-41, and a free-throw by Bo Harris promptly un-tied the game and gave the Cougars their first lead since they led, 5-3, early in the first half.
Concordia responded with a 7-2 run that featured five points from Friesen and regained the lead for the Eagles at 48-43, as the two teams hunkered down for a tight game the rest of the way.
The Eagles led by a 55-50 margin before Tony Brown buried the Cougars' first trey of the game and Brown scored a layup that followed a block by Nick Aldridge to tie the game at 55-55 with 12:54 remaining.
The Cougars grabbed a 57-55 lead when Marcus Hunter regained control of the ball just in time to sink a layup, and the Eagles turned the ball over on the following possession to set the table for a fast-break layup by Anthony Pigram that stretched the Mountain State lead to 59-55 with 10:46 left.
Trailing, 61-57, Friesen nailed back-to-back treys to give Concordia the lead, at 63-61 with just under nine minutes on the clock, and Friesen tipped in his next shot to give Concordia a lead again, at 65-63 before he found Worthy on the wing for a triple that put the Eagles ahead, 68-63.
Concordia held onto a three-point advantage, at 73-70 thanks to a trey from Gliddon and a pull-up jumper from Friesen, and Worthy sunk a three-pointer that was followed by a Gliddon tip-in to make the score 78-70 with 3:43 left to play.
The Eagles led by no less than four points, until a long triple by Brown shaved the Concordia lead to 81-79 with 45 seconds left. Brown became the second Cougar to foul out of the game on the next play, however, and Worthy later hit a free throw to make the score 82-79.
Friesen then iced the game with a 2-for-2 showing at the line to stretch the lead to 84-79, and Smith went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe with two seconds left to make the final score 85-79.
"Phil had a great game," Ammann said. "He stepped up in big situations with clutch three-pointers, which wasn't surprising based on the way he's played so far this season. He's one of the best pure competitors I've ever coached or even seen play the game."
In the first half, Concordia knocked down six three-pointers, including three of its first four attempts, as Friesen, Smith and Gliddon each buried a trey to build up an 18-9 lead in the early going.
Smith scored eight of the Eagles' first 16 points, but the Cougars picked up their offensive game when Andrew Lee hit a fast-break layup to spark a 5-0 rally and bring Mountain State within four points, at 18-14.
Worthy hit his first triple of the game, and Andre Murillo scored on a turnaround jumper to stretch the lead to 23-14, and Eric Beal connected with Gliddon for a crisp Ally-Oop to put Concordia ahead by a 29-22 tally following a Cougar offensive foul with 9:16 to play.
Beal then hit his first three-pointer of the game to give Concordia its first 10-point lead of the game, at 34-24 with 7:01 remaining, and Friesen scored the game's next bucket with a layup that put Concordia ahead by a dozen points, at 36-24, and prompted Mountain State to call a timeout with 4:46 on the clock.
Concordia put Mountain State in a 13-point hole when Friesen hit another wide-open triple from the wing to make it a 39-26 contest, but the Cougars answered with a 10-2 rally that included a pair of offensive fouls and two missed foul shots by the Eagles, as the Cougars pulled to within five points, at 41-36, on a half-ending dunk by Harris.
Concordia and Mountain State shot comparable first-half percentages of .515 (17-for-33) and .517 (15-for-29) from the field, as the Eagles posted a 40 percent (6-for-15) clip from beyond the arc and held the Cougars to an 0-for-2 showing from three-point range.
Concordia's bench also out-scored Mountain State's reserves by a 14-6 in the game's first 20 minutes, as five Eagles hit at least on trey in the half.
Concordia improves to 16-5 all-time at College Basketball's Toughest Tournament, as the Eagles advance to the Quarterfinals for the fifth time in seven all-time appearances at the NAIA Tournament.
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 |
