March 13, 2009

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - College of the Ozarks (Mo.) advances to the Elite Eight for the fourth straight year with a 70-56 win over the University of Sioux Falls. The 18th annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

Sioux Falls entered the game on a six-game win streak but it was Ozarks who came out fast, jumping out to an 11-0 lead. USF came back and after a three-point play by Skyler Bloch, the Cougars were within eight (20-12). Ozarks, however, closed the half with a 15-7 run and forced the Cougars into just 21% from the field and 0-for-8 from the three-point line in the first half.

Ozarks continued to roll in the second half behind timely shooting and incredible balance offensively. They extended the lead to over 20 points until a late USF run cut the lead down to 14 at the end. The Bobcats held Sioux Falls to a season-low 56 points.

Jared Howerton led four Ozarks players in double figures with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Corey Stone scored 14, nine of which came from the three-point line. Colt Blair (12) and Nathan Peterson (10) were the other top scorers for the Bobcats. Ozarks shot 51% for the game.

Sioux Falls was led by senior Gerad Van Leur who scored 10 points in his final game with the Cougars. He also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. Skyler Bloch, the GPAC freshman of the year, scored 10 points off the bench, all in the first half. They finish the season with a 20-16 record.

Ozarks moves on with a 23-10 record and will play #6 Indiana Wesleyan in the quarterfinals Saturday night at 6:00 pm. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 17, 2009.