KANSAS CITY, MO --- GSAC Player of the Year Justin Johnson scored 18 points, as the NAIA's top-ranked Concordia kicked off its run in the 2010 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Men's Basketball National Championships with a 71-54 win over William Jewell (Mo.) in First Round action Thursday.

The Eagles advance to the Second Round, where they will square off against Robert Morris (IL) in a re-match of the pair's quadruple overtime Semifinal Round of the 2007 tournament.

Robert Morris had entered this season as the No. 1-ranked team, and downed Life (GA) by a 90-72 margin to advance to Second Round competition.

Concordia improves to 31-3 with the win, while William Jewell ends its season at 22-11.

The Ealges jumped out to a 41-25 lead by halftime, thanks to an 11-0 run over the last four minutes of the first period. 

The Concordia bench out-scored that of its opponent by a 26-0 margin overall, and the Eagles forced 20 turnovers while giving the ball away nine times.

Sophomore center Andre Murillo scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds, as Johnson finished with five boards in the win.

Sophomore forward Cameron Gliddon hit 4-for-10 from the field and finished with nine points, but went just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Overall, Concordia shot 20 percent (4-for-20) from three-point distance, its second-lowest total of the season and lowest since a 19 percent (3-for-16) in the second game of the season Nov. 13.

Junior guard A.J. Gasporra hit a pair of treys to finish with eight points, while three-time All-GSAC guard Terrence Worthy scored nine points and dished out two assists. 

The Eagles and Robert Morris tip off at 6 p.m. (PST) Friday night (March 19) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.