Story by NAIA Office

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Box score) No. 1-seeded Georgetown (Ky.) advanced to the second round of the 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship with a 102-83 win over No. 8-seeded Wayland Baptist (Texas). The Tigers will take on the winner of fourth-seeded Arizona Christian and No. 5-seeded William Carey (Miss.) on Friday, March 18 at 12:30 p.m.

Noah Cottrill led all scorers with 28 points for Georgetown, hitting three of five three-point attempts, while Deondre McWhorter added 19 points and a game-best 12 rebounds. Troy Steward came off the bench to tally 17 points and fellow reserve Tony Kimbro chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“The three seniors (Cottrill, McWhorter, Kimbro) came here last year and left with a bad taste in their mouth,” said Georgetown head coach Chris Briggs. “They’ve remembered that all year. They were huge tonight.”

Georgetown (29-3) dominated the game in the paint, scoring 52 of its 102 points in the lane on the way to shooting an even 50.0 percent (37 of 74) for the game. The Tigers controlled the glass, as well, posting a 53-34 rebounding advantage that included 17 on the offensive end that led to 14 second-chance points.

Leading by 14 with 5:58 left in the first half, Georgetown saw Wayland Baptist chip away at the advantage and get within six points with 57 seconds left in the first half before Cottrill hit a pair of free throws to take a 48-40 lead to the half.

The Pioneers kept the momentum going starting the second half and briefly went in front thanks to a 14-2 run over 4:02 for a 58-56 lead. Marshall Nelson completed the run with a three-pointer after starting the run with a fast-break bucket.

With the game tied moments later at 60-60, Georgetown reclaimed the momentum to pull away and secure the victory. Troy Steward converted a conventional three-point play and a three-point shot around a trey by Cottrill for a six-point lead. Wayland Baptist replied with a pair of free throws from Anietie Jack, but got no closer than four points the rest of the way.

Maurice Redmond led the way for Wayland Baptist with 24 points and five rebounds, while Robert Waters added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Marshall Nelson tallied 11 points and Jordon Johnson chipped in with 10 points for the Pioneers.

Wayland Baptist finishes its season with a record of 21-12.

Game notes:
Georgetown – The Tigers claimed their 62nd win in its history at the National Championship, the most all-time … Georgetown scored 100 points or more for the sixth time in its National Championship history … The Tigers came into the tournament leading the NAIA in scoring offense (95.5) … Cottrill has now scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games this season.

Wayland Baptist – The Pioneers lost in the first round of the National Championship for the third-straight year, including an opening round loss to Georgetown in the 2014 tournament … Wayland Baptist matched a season-low with 11 points … The Pioneers topped 100 points in 12 games this season, second among teams in the National Championship behind Georgetown … The Pioneers finished with a record of 7-6 against teams in this season’s National Championship field.