Story by NAIA Office

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Box score) No. 3 seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) earned its second semifinal berth in the last three seasons at the 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship, claiming a 95-82 victory over fifth-seeded Our Lady of the Lake (Texas).

MidAmerica Nazarene (28-8) will take on No. 1 seed Georgetown (Ky.), the 2013 NAIA National Champion and the all-time winningest program in tournament history, on Monday, March 21 at 8:00 p.m. CDT.

Jonas Page led all scorers with 24 points for MNU, hitting six of 10 three-point shots to go along with three steals, two rebounds and two assists. Justin Randall added 22 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots, Gabriel Jordan collected 14 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Whelan chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.

"I don’t think there’s any doubt that it’s always special and unique to be one of the final four teams,” said MNU head coach Rocky Lamar. “I usually get real excited, but I’m bound and determined. I want these kids to stay focused and keep playing. This group, they shocked me. They were 9-6 and they made up their minds and they were going to do things the right way. They’re listening so well in our film sessions, they know what we want and I’m so proud of them.”

Page hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the game, while Randall had 10 points on the way to a 22-6 lead less than seven minutes into the contest. The Saints got within five points on a three-point shot by Christian Wood-Dvorak with 6:24 until half, but the Pioneers responded with a 9-0 run that included another three-ball from Page to push the lead back into double digits.

Our Lady of the Lake got within nine points on a pair of occasions early in the second half, the final time coming on a basket in the paint by Olajuwon Garner with 13:58 remaining. That was as close as the Saints would come as the Pioneers used another strong surge, this time 11-2 over 1:51, pushing the lead to 67-49 and into double figures to stay.

The Pioneers dominated the game on the glass, posting a 47-21 rebounding advantage that included 14 on the offensive end that led to 18 second-chance points. Though the Pioneers committed 20 turnovers against the both full- and half-court trapping defense of the Saints, MNU shot 49.2 percent from the field and made 24 of 32 free throws.

Our Lady of the Lake made just 3 of 17 three-point shots (.176) in the first half and finished at 20.0 percent (6 of 30) for the game from beyond the arc. Dilepso Blanco led the way for the Saints with 21 points, while Joe Jackson tallied 19 points, four rebounds and three steals. Wood-Dvorak also added 11 points and three rebounds.

Our Lady of the Lake finishes its season with a 22-9 record.

Game Notes
Our Lady of the Lake: Making first appearance in quarterfinal round... Averaging 85 points in the championship, two points below regular season average of 87.1…Joe Jackson leads team with 43 total points, averaging 21.5 a game… Leads championship in total rebounds with 16… Delepso Blanco led team with 21 points and four rebounds.

MidAmerica Nazarene: With the victory, advances to third Fab Four Monday, all coming since 2009… Pioneers are 0-2 in two previous semifinal trips… Made fourth appearance in quarterfinal round after beating William Jessup (Calif.), 90-76, in the second round on Friday… Nick Syrie leads team with 35 total points, averaging 17.5 points per game…Jonas Page led team with 24 points and three rebounds…Team hit 32-of 65 from the field, with 47 rebounds... Nick Syrie collected 13 assists, a 2016 tournament-high thus far.