NCCAA National Tournament Fifth-Place game:
#4 Mid-America Christian University #6 Spring Arbor University
When: Friday, Mar. 15. Time: 6 p.m. (CST) Location: Winona Lake, Ind.
Live Video: http://www.tourbeausportsgroup.com/p/201.html
Official NCCAA Tournament Page:
http://www.grace.edu/athletics/nccaa
What's at stake: A fifth-place finish in the NCCAA National Tournament is on the line when the fourth-seeded Mid-America Christian University Evangels tangle with the sixth-seeded Spring Arbor University Cougars tomorrow night (Mar. 15) in Winona Lake, Ind.
The Dish on the Evangels: The Evangels easily dispatched of eighth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan College 91-69 this morning (Mar. 14) to earn their way into the fifth-place game. The Evangels' stingy defense limited the RWC Redhawks to only 31.6 percent (24-of-76) shooting after the Redhawks scored 101 in a narrow setback against top-seeded Fresno Pacific one day earlier. Charlie Shorter led the way 32 points along with eight rebounds and four steals in the victory. Angelo Lewis scored 14 with nine boards and Camilo Valencia added 11 points. Josh Minner chipped in with 10, while Reggie Davis had another solid all-around game of 10 rebounds, five assists and five points.
Shorter, the SAC Player of the Year and NCCAA Central Regional Co-MVP, currently leads the SAC and is second in NAIA Division I in scoring with 23.4 points per game. Lewis leads the league in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.507), while Valencia has dished out a team-high 3.8 assists per game this season.
The Dish on the Cougars: The Spring Arbor University (Mich.) Cougars took care of Tennessee Temple 85-60 earlier today to advance to the NCCAA fifth-place matchup against the Evangels. Matt Howe powered the Cougars' efforts against Tennessee Temple with 29 points and nine rebounds. The Cougars are on a roll, winning of 10 of their last 12 games but fell 83-59 to third-seeded Oklahoma Christian University in their NCCAA first-round game.
SAU is led in scoring by Chris Bellamy with 18.8 points per game and he is closely followed by Rob Hogans' 17.6 ppg. Howe also scores in double-figures at 11.3 ppg and has a team-high 7.4 rebounds. Matt Van Pelt leads the Cougars with 159 assists on the season.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 40th season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 768 career victories rank first in school history and second all-time in the NAIA. He guided the Evangels to their first-ever NAIA Top 25 ranking this season, climbing as high as No. 23. He has also led the Evangels to their 20th Central Regional title this year and their 22nd NCCAA National Tournament appearance.
Holley has helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the SAC, as for the second straight year, Holley kept the Evangels in the hunt for a Sooner Athletic Conference postseason tournament berth until the final day of the season. MACU more than doubled its win total over its first two seasons with 13 conference victories in the 2009-10 season and achieved a landmark victory at defending NAIA National Champion Oklahoma Baptist during the 2010-11 season.
Ryan Cottingham is in his 14th season at the helm of Spring Arbor University. Cottingham has guided the Cougars to 20 wins in six of the past seven seasons. He also led SAU to consecutive NCCAA national titles in 2005 & 2006.
