Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) Outlasts Faulkner (Ala.) in Double Overtime Showdown at Municipal Auditorium
Benedictine Mesa outlasted Faulkner, 96-88, in a double overtime Round of 16 game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - [Watch on-Demand | Bracket | Box Score] In the opening game of the 88th annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Thursday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium, Benedictine Mesa outlasted Faulkner, 96-88, in a double overtime Round of 16 game that saw both teams have opportunities to take home the victory and move on to the next round.
Benedictine Mesa (27-6) now takes on the winner of Hope International (25-6) and Indiana Wesleyan (28-5) in the quarterfinals on Saturday at noon CT. The Hope International-Indiana Wesleyan Round of 16 matchup was scheduled for later Thursday afternoon.
No. 8-seeded Benedictine Mesa hit 12 of its first 16 shots from the field and led by as many as 12 points on three different occasions in the first half, the last time coming at 28-16 on a layup by Luis Marin with 11:58 to go before halftime. However, the Redhawks eventually cooled off, enabling Faulkner to go on a 17-6 run over the span of 7:01 to get to within 34-33 after a Tanner Vogel layup with 4:59 left in the half. The Eagles later tied the game at 38 and 41 before a 3-pointer by Francois-Dony Baba at the buzzer sent Faulkner into the locker room with a 44-43 halftime lead.
No. 12-seeded Faulkner (22-10) was led by Gabriel Rivera's eight points and four rebounds, Baba added seven points and five rebounds, and the duo of Vogel and Levi White had six apiece for the Eagles, who had seven players score four or more points in the opening 20 minutes. Faulkner made 16 of its 40 shots (40 percent), but just 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from 3-point range in the first half.
Benedictine Mesa was led by Isaiah Howard's 13 points and five rebounds, Eric Blackwell had 10 points and five rebounds, and Malik Payton and Khari Dunn chipped in eight apiece for the Redhawks. Benedictine Mesa went 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) from the field overall and 3-for-8 (37.5 percent) on 3-pointers while outrebounding Faulkner, 23-19, in the first half.
The Redhawks opened the second half with a 12-3 run to take a 55-47 lead on a 3-pointer by Howard with 16:06 remaining. Faulkner rallied again, though, slowly chipping away at the Redhawks' lead before finally tying the game at 75 on a free throw by Kamal Green II with 35 seconds left in regulation. After a missed shot by Benedictine Mesa, the Eagles' K.J. Rogers was fouled with 2.9 seconds to go and made both free throws to put Faulkner in front, 77-75. However, on the subsequent inbounds play, Howard drew a foul, sending him to the free throw line for a 1-and-1 with 2.2 seconds showing on the clock. He made both, and the game went to overtime, tied at 77.
In the first overtime, Faulkner had an 81-77 lead with 2:18 to go following a basket by White, but the Redhawks scored six straight points to go up, 83-81 with 42.7 seconds left after a pair of free throws by Blackwell. The Eagles came through again, though, as White got a dunk to tie things up at 83 and force a second overtime. In the second extra period, Vogel made a layup to give Faulkner an 86-85 lead with 2:41 left, but Benedictine Mesa would finally take control for good, scoring the next eight points to build a 93-86 advantage and hold on for the win.
Howard led the Redhawks with a game-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Dunn finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, Blackwell had a double-double with 15 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals, Payton tossed in 15, and Marin also hit double figures for Benedictine Mesa with 10. Rogers paced Faulkner with 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds. White had 16 and nine rebounds, and Baba picked up 14 points and four rebounds for the Eagles in the loss.