Explore the latest developments concerning Lander stuns No..
Lander stuns No. 1 Nova Southeastern, advances to DII men's basketball championship game
Down goes No. 1! The DII men's basketball defending champions and No. 1-seeded Nova Southeastern were upset in the national semifinals by No. 5 Lander. The Bearcats are heading to their first-ever national championship game in program history after silencing the potent Shark attack.
It wasn't simply a win. The Bearcats dominated the Sharks from start to finish. They held the lead for 32 of the 40 minutes and showed no fear in their offensive and defensive attack against the DII men's basketball superpower, winning by 10 points, 91-81.
Lander was the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region. The Bearcats advanced to the DII Men's Elite Eight by absolutely smothering a Lenoir-Rhyne offense that was No. 7 in DII in scoring at 89.5 points per game by holding the Bears to just 62 points. That set the tone for what Lander would do in the next two rounds.
Ulanzi U200 Rechargable Smartphone Video Rig Vertical Shooting LED Ring Light LED Video Light DSLR Smartphone Handle Vlog Grip
Lander advances to NCAA Division II national title game
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Lander head coach Omar Wattad has said all season that the Bearcats do not blink. That mindset showed again Friday night, sending Lander to the NCAA Division II National Championship game.Facing the nation’s No. 1 team and defending national champion, the Bearcats built a 15-point lead, lost it, then answered with a decisive 15-2 run to secure a 91-81 win over Nova Southeastern in the national semifinals at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on the campus of Duquesne University.Lander (30-5) will face Gannon for the national title on April 5 at 1 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.The victory marked Lander’s 15th straight. It is the first team appearance for Lander in a national final since 2000, when the men’s tennis program captured its 12th national championship. Gannon (33-3) advanced with a 98-80 win over Oklahoma Baptist in the other semifinal.Nova Southeastern entered the game 167-6 over the past five seasons and as the reigning national champion, but the Bearcats never viewed themselves as underdogs.”We knew it was us against the world,” Wattad said in a postgame interview on ESPN+. “There were probably some fans back home in Greenwood and the 20 guys in our locker room, and that was it. But we believed we could do it.”Lander also became the fourth Peach Belt Conference team to reach the national title game (2022 Augusta, 2012 Montevallo, 2008 Augusta State) and will look to become the league’s first national champion since Kennesaw State in 2004.“We are extremely happy. Shoutout to Greenwood, South Carolina, Lander University,” Wattad said. “We know you were with us in spirit.”Greyson Pritzl led five Bearcats in double figures with a game-high 25 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Dylan Canoville added 18 points and 11 rebounds, dominating the paint with multiple second-chance dunks.Jacob Daniels finished with 17 points and five assists, while Antewan Webber Jr. scored 11 points and Bobby Crawford Jr. added 10. Navaughn Maise led the team with 12 rebounds.Lander set the tone early, holding Nova Southeastern scoreless on its first eight shots to take a 5-0 lead. After falling behind 18-12, the Bearcats responded with a 28-7 run to seize control.Canoville ignited the surge with a series of finishes inside, while Pritzl added a step-back 3-pointer to push the lead to 27-22. Lander extended the margin to 40-25 late in the first half and carried a 42-31 advantage into the break, the largest halftime deficit Nova Southeastern had faced all season.The Bearcats stretched the lead to 48-38 early in the second half before the Sharks chipped away. A jumper from Division II Player of the Year Dallas Graziani cut the deficit to four, and Nova eventually tied the game at 58 with 10:52 remaining.Each time, Lander responded.After the tie, the Bearcats delivered the game’s defining stretch, a 15-2 run fueled by defensive stops and transition offense. Pritzl and Daniels converted key baskets, and Canoville controlled the glass, helping push the lead back to double digits.Lander extended its advantage to 78-66 with just over five minutes to play, but Nova Southeastern made one final push, trimming the deficit to six in the closing minute.The Bearcats closed the door at the free-throw line, where Daniels went 4-for-4 in the final 34 seconds to seal the victory and send Lander to the national championship game.The National Championship game is slated for a 1 p.m. tip-off inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. The venue will also host the Division III Championship Game as well as the NIT Championship Game.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning Lander stuns No..
0 Comments