By Eric Montgomery | NAIA Media Relations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Box Score) No. 10-seeded Concordia (Calif.) avenged a loss to Oklahoma City in the 2007 championship game by posting a 74-62 win, Thursday afternoon in the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship in Municipal Auditorium. The Eagles advance to the second to take on No. 7-seeded Pikeville, a 94-86 winner over Bethel (Tenn.), on Friday, March 20 at 12:30 p.m.

Matt Scott hit seven of nine shots from the field and scored a game-high 18 points for Concordia to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. Ty Armstrong and Justin Davis each added 13 points, with Armstrong recording eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.

“Every win here feels incredible, and we played a really good, talented, tough team today,” said Concordia head coach Ken Ammann. “We were hoping to get off to a start like we did, but that is sometimes wishful thinking. I thought we came out very aggressive, and our guys did a great job keeping their poise during their second half run.”

Concordia (27-7) grabbed control of the game from the early moments of the game, claiming a double-digit advantage just 5:07 into the contest. The Eagles scored 17-straight points after an early 5-4 deficit to race to a 21-5 lead at the 12:46 mark of the first half.

The Eagles continued to push the action, stretching the lead to 20 points with 5:01 before halftime on a three-pointer by Justin Davis. Concordia led by as much as 22 in the opening stanza, shooting 17 of 35 (.486) from the field while holding the Stars to a 10 of 27 clip (.370).

Oklahoma City completely turned the game around over the first 4:39 of the second half, coming out of the break with a 19-4 stretch to close within 52-47. That was as close as the Stars would get as Davis scored the next four points and the Eagles never led by less than seven points the rest of the way.

“I was proud of our guys’ resolve to stay in the game despite the large deficit early,” said Oklahoma City head coach Dionne Phelps. “We outscored them in the second half, but trying to come back from 20 down at the half, it’s hard to get back in it if you start out like that.”

Concordia posted a 45-36 rebounding advantage, including an 11-6 edge on the offensive end. Oklahoma City hit eight more free throws (23-15), but the Eagles allowed just one three-point shot while converting seven attempts from beyond the arc.

Tharone Chilton led the way for the Stars with 17 points, hitting nine of 10 from the free throw line. Ivan Jelencic added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Gary Inglett tallied nine points and five rebounds.

Oklahoma City finishes its season with a record of 18-9.

Game Notes:
Concordia – The two teams entered the game with a combined eight national championships and three runner-up finishes, including a 79-71 decision for Oklahoma City in the 2007 title game … The Eagles improved to 10-2 all-time in the first round of the national championship and has won six-straight opening round contests … Armstrong reached double figures in scoring for the 18th time this season.

Oklahoma City – The Stars were making their 22nd all-time appearance in the national championship, third-most among this season’s qualifiers … Oklahoma City was held to its lowest point total of the season, failing to score at least 70 points for just the fifth time in 27 games … The Stars fell to 17-4 all-time in the first round with three of the losses coming in the last three appearances (2010, 2013).