- Good Morning NAIA Hoops Nation! We are getting back in the swing of things, as we pick back up our Morning Bullet Points segment. For our new followers, this segment is just us giving a rundown of what is happening around the NAIA Hoops World.
- NAIA DI Recaps
- Langston (OK) 88 – Oklahoma City 85
- We had this game circled because OCU dismissed head coach Stan Holt at the end of last semester. Coach Holt came to Oklahoma City from Langston, where he had a lot of success as the head coach. A lot of twists and turns in this one, and still no word on why Coach Holt was dismissed. Hank Aldous is now the interim head coach, and he had his guys playing hard in this one. OCU got out to a 41-35 lead at half time. With 6.5 seconds left and the score tied at 85 all, Langston’s Ryan Scales got an offensive rebound put back, while being fouled. He made the free throw to go up 88-85. The last second shot by OCU would fall short, and Langston sealed a big Sooner Athletic Conference win. Game Recap|Box Score
- 17 Stillman (AL) 72 – RV Bethel (TN) 67
- This was one of our circled games, because unfortunately we haven’t gotten to watch Stillman much this year, and Prince McDaniel is one of the best players in the country. The All-American finally returned back to the Stillman lineup for the first time this year, and didn’t disappoint as he ended up with 16 points to lead Stillman to the win. Game Recap|Box Score
- 8 Loyola (LA) 73 – RV Faulkner (FL) 75
- We had this game circled because Faulkner is actually ranked #14 in our NAIA Hoops Report Top 25 poll. We certainly have been higher on them then their conference rater. However, with this win, they now sit at 11-3, have beat 3 official NAIA Top 25 teams, and their 3 losses are to two NAIA Top 25 teams, and a good NCAA D2 squad. Those 3 losses are also by a combined 12 points. This was a great game to watch, as it went back and forth from tip to finish. Faulkner, for the most part, handled the full court pressure by Loyola. All-American Zach Wrightsil saw himself in foul trouble, and ended up fouling out with 9 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow All-American Myles Burns, along with Terry Smith Jr. chipped in 19 points a piece to lead Loyola. CJ Williamson had a game high 23 points, while Milan Skundric added in 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win.Game Recap|Box Score
- NAIA DII Recap
- 1 Morningside (IA) 91 – 23 Mount Marty (SD) 87
- We had this game circled for obvious reasons, but man did it live up to the hype. Morningside is really good, and has great balance inside and out. Mount Marty is like an annoying rock in your shoe, that you just can’t seem to get out. They are scrappy, and play loose basketball with no fear of anyone. Just when you think you have them beat, they scrap their way back in it, and never go away. First year head coach Todd Lorensen has done a great job with this group, and has a Mount Marty program that was 2-18 in the GPAC last season, competing at the top of the league this year. Unfortunately, after a seven game win streak, they ran into a really good and tough Morningside team. Morningside handled the Mount Marty runs and used it’s size advantage down low to grind out a tough road win. Tyler Borchers led the way for the Mustangs with 22 points in the win. Mount Marty was led by Chris King’s game high 27 points. Box Score
- Florida National is currently hosting the Beach Bask Classic. Head Coach JJ Thatcher is a great guy, and has sent me some pictures of the set up of the hospitality room where they are feeding all of the teams, coaches, and refs for the tournament. Coach JJ coaches with great passion on the sidelines, and he gets every ounce of effort from his guys in return. They are a fun squad to watch, and got an 80-58 win last night against The Apprentice School. There are two days left of the classic, but I don’t think anyone will question if they are going to be fed well or not!
- Bluefiled (VA) player Niquan Cousins showing off his bounce last night against Union.
