By Eric Montgomery | NAIA Media Relations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Box Score) In front of a pro-Missouri Valley crowd, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) used the long ball to race out to a comfortable lead and never looked back in the 81-72 victory Friday in the second round of the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. Brock Hunter hit five of Mid-America Christian’s 10 three-pointers in the first half and the Evangels led 44-27 at the break.

Appearing in their first-ever national championship, the Evangels advance to play the winner of Westmont (Calif.) / No. 5 Campbellsville (Ky.) Saturday, March 21 at 6 p.m. CDT.

Missouri Valley, located in Marshall, Mo., is roughly 90 miles to the east. The team had the support of a large contingent of fans. Their volume could not stop the scoring firepower of Hunter and Semar Farris. Farris added 10 points in the first 20 minutes and the Evangels took momentum from that point.

After trailing by as many as 22 (56-34) at the 14-minute mark in the second half, the Vikings fought back. With about six minutes left, Andre Scott’s 3-pointer ignited a 12-2 spurt to bring the Vikings to within five at 68-63. However, free throw shooting down the stretch was the difference. Mid-America Christian made 12-of-14 free throws in the final two-plus minutes to seal the win.

After going 10-of-19 from 3-point range in the first half, the Evangels went 0-for-5 in the second frame.

Hunter finished his night with a game-best 20 points and Farris gathered 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.

James Lane, who shot just 4-of-14, collected a team-high 18 points and snared eight rebounds for Missouri Valley. Brad Hamilton added 12 points and Raviel Burton posted 10 points and eight boards.

Mid-America Christian shot 44 percent from the field (26-of-59) and held a 38-30 rebounding edge.

Appearing in its first national championship since 1961, Missouri Valley finishes the season with a 22-11 record.

Game Notes:
Mid-America Christian – MACU is the second team in this season’s National Championship to advance to the quarterfinals in its tournament debut (Dalton State) … The Evangels improved to 15-5 this season when scoring at least 80 points, including 12-straight … Brock Hunter posted his third 20-point performance of the season and first since Jan. 24, 2015 against Oklahoma Baptist … The Evangels are the only double-digit seed remaining in the tournament and lowest seed to qualify for the quarterfinals with one game to play in the second round.

Missouri Valley – The Vikings fell to 1-2 all-time in the second round, also falling in its last appearance in the 1961 event … Missouri Valley had allowed an average of 62.6 points over its last five games prior to the second round defeat … Missouri Valley allowed at least 10 three-point shots for the first time since Feb. 12, 2015 against Avila (Mo.) … James Lane scored in double figures for the 30th time in 33 games this season.