Rocky Mountain Upends Freed-Hardeman in Overtime, 78-77
March 18, 2009
Kansas City, Mo. - Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) outscored 13th-seeded Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) 10-9 in overtime en route to a 78-77 upset in the second game of the 2009 Buffalo Funds NAIA Men's Division I National Tournament at Municipal Auditorium on Wednesday morning.
The Battlin' Bears trailed 39-30 at halftime after falling behind by as many as 17 points in the first half. However, Rocky Mountain held the Lions scoreless for more than eight minutes in the second half and went on a 19-1 run to claim the lead. The lead changed hands four times and there were three ties before the game went to overtime tied at 68 after a three-point basket by Rocky Mountain's Chase Sukut with 30 seconds left. Freed-Hardeman had a chance to win the game in regulation but failed to get a shot off as time expired. In the overtime, Freed-Hardeman didn't make a field goal for the first 4:19 of the overtime period, allowing the Bears to jump out to a 73-69 lead. Rocky Mountain made five free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
All five Rocky Mountain starters reached double figures with Nate Richardson leading the way with 18 points. Devin Uskoski added 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while James Bullock (14), Anthony Allen (16) and Chase Sukut (12) were also in double figures. The Bears shot 36.2 percent from the field for the game and outscored Freed-Hardeman 21-9 from the free throw line.
For Freed-Hardeman, Zack Frey netted 19 points to lead a balanced attack by the Lions. Shun Trevillian added 16 points and four assists. Jesse Moulton totaled 12 points while Wesley Mayes recorded 11 markers. The Lions shot 51.7 percent from the field in the opening half, but fell off in the second half and overtime, making just 41.7 percent of their attempts.
Rocky Mountain improves to 24-9 on the season and will play the winner of the Central Methodist University (Mo.) and Georgetown College (Ky.) contest at 2:15 p.m. CDT on Friday. Freed-Hardeman completes its season at 24-10.
GAME NOTES:
The victory was the first all-time for Rocky Mountain in its sixth trip to the national tournament ... Freed-Hardeman falls to 0-2 all-time in tournament play ... this was the sixth time in the last eight years that the No. 13 seed bowed out in the first round ... Rocky Mountain's Devin Uskoski recorded his 25th double-double of the season, the most in the NAIA ... this was the second straight season in which game two of the tournament went into overtime.
