By Eric Montgomery | NAIA Media Relations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Box Score) No. 3-seeded Cal State San Marcos (Calif.) grabbed the lead when it mattered most, scoring the last four points to earn a 61-59 win over Arizona Christian, Friday morning in the second round of the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. The Cougars will next take on sixth-seeded Dalton State (Ga.), an 85-74 winner over Evangel (Mo.) in its second round game, on Saturday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m.

After scoring on the opening possession of the game, Cal State San Marcos trailed until the 2:00 mark of the second half when Tony Freeland tied the game with two free throws. Both teams had chances to go back in front, but neither was successful on the next three trips. Akachi Okugo was fouled with 56 seconds remaining and converted both free throws to put the Cougars on top.

Arizona Christian attempted five shots in the final minute of play, but was unable to convert any of those attempts. Cal State San Marcos had a chance to put the game away, but missed three free throws. The Firestorm had three of the five shot attempts on the final possession, but Sharif Watson missed a pair of putbacks prior to the final horn.

“The one thing about this team is that we have been down so many times this year,” said Cal State San Marcos head coach Jim Saia. “We have a tough schedule we play on the road. This is the most resilient team that I have been around. They are incredible fighters and it was a great win for us.”

Arizona Christian shot 45.5 percent in the first half and led by as much as 14 points with 3:26 before halftime thanks to a quick six-point spurt. The Firestorm led by 11 at halftime, but shot just 14.7 percent (5 for 34) in the second half that included 10-straight misses from three-point range. The Cougars struggled to a 12 for 26 mark (.462) at the free throw line, but shot 45.8 percent (11 of 24) from the field in the second half.

“In the second half, we shot just 14 percent and it’s hard to win a ball game when you shoot like that,” said Arizona Christian head coach Jeff Rutter. “We played well in the first half and our defensive intensity was there in the second half. We just couldn’t get our shots to fall.”

Blake Nash led the way for Cal State San Marcos with 17 points and six rebounds, while Julian Camper provided 13 points and nine rebounds. Freeland led the way on the glass with 10 rebounds and added a pair of steals.

Jackson Helms tallied 11 points and nine rebounds for Arizona Christian, which claimed a 48-45 rebounding advantage and forced 13 turnovers. Watson finished with 10 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, while Charles King also had 10 points to go along with four rebounds.

Arizona Christian finished its season with a record of 25-9.

Game Notes:
Cal State San Marcos – The Cougars advanced to the quarterfinals for the second-straight appearance in the National Championship, marking the first time since 2012 the No. 3 seed has qualified for the round of eight … Cal State San Marcos recorded a season-low in points scored, its fewest points since a 82-67 loss to Hope International (Calif.) on Dec. 7, 2013 … The Cougars improved to 15-0 this season when allowing less than 70 points.

Arizona Christian – The Firestorm reached the second round of the national championship after falling in the first round in each of its first two appearances (2013, 2014) … Arizona Christian scored its fewest points of the season and lowest point total since 71-52 loss to Great Falls (Mont.) on Dec. 20, 2013 … Watson matched his season-high for rebounds, posted on Jan. 15, 2015 against The Master’s (Calif.).