Men's Basketball - Chicago NAIA
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Robert Morris was called for 32 fouls while the whistle blew on APU only 11 times, leading to a 44-7 edge in free throws for the Cougars.
Robert Morris--making its second consecutive trip to the NAIA Division I tournament and its second appearance in the Final Four, having reached the championship game in the Division II tourney in 2002--ends its season with a 30-5 record. The Eagles were the regular season and tournament champions in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference for the second consecutive year.
"The guys should be proud," Eagle Head Coach Al Bruehl said (pictured at right). "We had a great run. They were conference champs in the regular season and conference tournament champs. We won 30 games and we were one win from playing for the national championship. What more can you ask of them?" |
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Azusa Pacific improves to 29-9 on the season and will face unseeded
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO WEBCAST REPLAY OF MONDAY NIGHT'S NAIA SEMIFINAL GAME VERSUS AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY!
Hear Tom Wuestenfeld--the Voice of Robert Morris Basketball--with special commentary by RMC Alum Joseph Phillips--call all the action from Monday's NAIA Tourney game.
EAGLES REACH NAIA FINAL FOUR!
99-87 Win Over Georgetown (KY) Propels Robert Morris Closer to National Championship!
All-Americans Carlos Hurt and Derrick Powe each score twenty as five Eagles reach double figures!
Left: RMC's Terrance McLemore & Derrick Powe celebrate win!
Even their coach has to wonder how they are doing it. "Each game," he says, "I look out there and wonder how we're going to win." With only three players over six feet-four inches, Coach Al Bruehl's Robert Morris Eagles keep using their quickness, a swarming man-to-man defense, and some red-hot outside shooting to defeat opponents who have them completely outsized. They used that formula once more on Saturday evening to earn a hard-fought win that propelled them into the Final Four of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship Saturday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO. The fourth-seeded Eagles had five players finish in double figures as they defeated fifth-seeded Georgetown College (KY) 99-87 in the tourney quarterfinals.
Robert Morris built a 10-point lead midway through the first half when Derrick Powe (Senior, 6'4, Pascagoula HS, Pascagoula, MS) made a steal and scored. Georgetown cut into that margin with twenty seconds left when Lamar Rice netted two of his twenty points. The Eagles held the ball for the last shot of the half and Powe earned a three-point play on a soaring drive and spin move.
In the second half the Tigers chipped away at the lead, cutting it to three with 6:39 remaining. The two teams then traded free throws until a field goal by Georgetown's Ivan Jenkins (30 points) tied the game for only the second time with 3:36 remaining. Both teams had 85 points at that time.
The Eagles were not to be denied. All-American Carlos Hurt (photo at right, Senior, 6'2, Moore HS, Houston, TX) hit an NBA-length three that broke the tie. On the ensuing possession, the Tigers were unable to cash in on three consecutive offensive rebounds and Keith Archie (Senior, 6'8, Thornridge HS, Dolton, IL) finally cleaned the boards for the Eagles. He was repaid for his efforts at the other end when Hurt drove the lane and dished to Archie for a dunk that stretched the lead to five. Then the Tigers' frustration finally boiled over. Georgetown's Casey Alsop was ejected from the game after he was caught punching Archie as the Eagle center cleared another defensive rebound. Archie's free throw and a clutch three-pointer by Martel Taylor (Junior, 6'1, Riley HS, South Bend, IN) built the lead to nine. From there the Eagles began a parade to the free throw line as Georgetown tried to stop the clock in a desperate attempt to salvage their championship hopes. In all, Robert Morris outscored the Tigers 14-2 after the game was tied at 85.
Leading the way for Robert Morris was Carlos Hurt with 25 points and seven assists. Four other players finished in double figures; Derick Powe scored 20 points, Quinton Gibson (Junior, 6'1, Marshall HS, Chicago, IL) and Terrance McLemore (Senior, 6'6, Harlan HS, Chicago, IL) each had 13 while Keith Archie (photo at left) finished with 12. The Eagles shot more than 52 percent from the three point line (11-for-21) compared to the Tigers 28 percent.
"To me, Georgetown is the class of the field in terms of talent," Eagle Head Coach Al Bruehl said after the game. "I never doubted that they would come back. They're a great team that was going to pressure us, and I figured we would make mistakes. But Carlos Hurt is a stud. He gets to the lane and make things happen."
Ivan Jenkins led Georgetown with 30 points, 18 of those coming in the first half. The senior guard was 10-for-21 from the field, including his team's first 16 points. Also in double figures were Lamar Rice with 20 points and Ryan Silverhorn with 11. Rice and Josh Grant each had team-highs seven boards as the Tigers out-rebounded the Eagles 35-21.
This was the twenty-fourth national tournament appearance for Georgetown and the Tigers had advanced to the semifinals the past two years. Georgetown advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Georgia Southwestern State University 84-62 in the first round and then Oklahoma Baptist University 87-75 in the second round. The Tigers conclude their season with a 28-6 overall record.
Robert Morris improves its record to 30-4 on the season and advances to its first semifinal. This is the second national tournament appearance in the Division I tournament for the Eagles who advanced to the second round in last year's event. In 2002 they reached the national championship game while a member of the NAIA Division II. The Eagles will face #9-seeded Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) who defeated #1-seeded Mountain State University (WV) 82-66. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Monday.
At right: Martell Taylor celebrates the win the sent the Eagles into the Final Four!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A REPLAY OF SATURDAY'S QUARTERFINAL GAME VERSUS GEORGETOWN (KY)!
Azusa Pacific improves to 29-9 on the season and will face unseeded
Hear Tom Wuestenfeld--the Voice of Robert Morris Basketball--call all the action as Coach Al Bruehl & the Eagles move on to the NAIA Final Four!
At Left: Robert Morris's Quintin Gibson scores in the Eagles' first round game versus Xavier (LA). At Right: Robert Morris's Derrick Powe scores in the Eagles' second round game versus California Baptist.
Click here to read the NAIA Preview of today's Quarterfinals games.
Earlier Tournament Updates . . .
Robert Morris Wins NAIA Second-Round Game over Cal Baptist, Advances to Elite Eight!
Three Eagles score 20 in 105-71 Blow-out!
CCAC Rival SXU Also Advances to Elite Eight with upset over #3 Lindsey Wilson!
With a trip the quarterfinals of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Tournament at stake, the Robert Morris Eagles put on the offensive show of the tournament thus far, notching a 105-71 victory over California Baptist at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO, Friday afternoon. The win propels the Eagles into the Elite Eight of the tourney, where they join Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival St. Xavier University. The Cougars punched their ticket for the quarterfinals with a 78-68 upset over the tournament's #3 seed, Lindsey Wilson University (KY); they will take on Carroll College (MT) at 2:00 PM CST Saturday. Robert Morris will face #5 Georgetown University (KY) on Saturday at 4:00 PM CST. 
The Lancers stayed with the Eagles early in the game on Friday, but with the score tied at 17, Robert Morris used a 15-4 run to take the lead for good, 32-21, with 7:53 left in the first half. The Eagles led 56-38 at the half and continued to increase its advantage in the final 20 minutes. Derrick Powe (Photo, above left; Senior, 6'4, Pascagoula HS, Pascagoula, MS) was a force for the second game in a row. CBU had no answer for his size and quickness on the perimeter and he used a combination of outside shooting and dribble penetration to put up 22 points. Terrance McLemore (photo, right; Senior, 6'6, Harlan HS, Chicago, IL) added 21 points with 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. Aaron Wellington (Junior, 5'10, De LaSalle HS, Chicago, IL) followed Thursday's clutch performance from the free throw line with six-of-seven shooting from three point range. He totaled 20 points as the Eagles became the first team to crack the 100-point barrier in this year's tournament. The Eagles shot 61 percent from the field, including 14-of-25 (56 percent) from three-point range. All-American Carlos Hurt (Senior, 6'2, Moore HS, Houston, TX) put in 12 and handed out eight assists. Quinton Gibson continued to dominate off the bench, scoring 16 and grabbing six rebounds. California Baptist closes its season with a record of 24-10, after making their first appearance at the NAIA Division I national tournament since 1976. The Eagles improved to 29-4. This is their third appearance in the last four years and the furthest they have advanced since they reached the Division II Championship Finals four years ago. Click here to see the complete box score of Friday's game! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE WEBCAST REPLAY OF FRIDAY'S GAME!
#4-Seeded Eagles Win Thursday Morning Thriller Over Xavier (LA), 81-79!
Carlos Hurt scores 20 and hits key three-pointer and FT!
Derrick Powe hits 17 and Quintin Gibson earns double-double as Eagles overcome 14-point second half deficit!
Clutch free throws from Carlos Hurt (photo at right, Senior, 6'2, Moore HS, Houston, TX) and Aaron Wellington (Junior, 5'10, De LaSalle HS, Chicago, IL) and some key rebounds by Quinton Gibson (Junior, 6'1, Marshall HS) and Keith Archie (Senior, 6'8, Thornridge HS, Dolton, IL) in the closing minutes helped the Eagles pull-out a come-from-behind win against Xavier University (LA) in the first round of the 2005 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO. Senior guard Carlos Hurt scored a team-high 20 points, including two free throws with eight seconds remaining and a three-pointer to give the Eagles their first lead since early in the first half, as they won their sixth consecutive game to improve to 28-4 on the season. Robert Morris advances to Friday's second round to face California Baptist University at 2:15 p.m. CST. 
After Hurt's free throws gave the Eagles an 80-79 lead, freshman guard Shaun Dumas missed two free throws with five seconds on the clock that would have reclaimed the lead for Xavier. Junior guard Aaron Wellington (photo, right) then sank another foul shot with two seconds to go, extending the Robert Morris lead to 81-79. The Gold Rush had one final shot, but missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer. Robert Morris began its comeback after trailing 52-38 with just over 15 minutes to play. The Eagles scored 12 consecutive points to pull within 52-50. The Gold Rush quickly extended their lead back to 58-50 before Robert Morris battled back again. The Eagles grabbed its first lead of the half, 73-72, on a pair of free throws by Wellington. The lead changed hands five times in the final four minutes. Xavier closes its season with a 24-10 record. 
Derrick Powe (Senior, 6'4, Pascagoula H, Pascagoula, MS) bailed out the Eagles time and again with clutch baskets, scoring a total of 17. Wellington added 11 with many of those points coming at the free throw line under intense pressure in the final four minutes of the game. Gibson (photo, left) netted a double-double off the bench, scoring 12 and leading the team with 10 rebounds from the guard position. Those rebounds were especially important in the second half as the Gold Rush held a 30-14 rebounding edge in the first half. In the second stanza, the Eagles managed to reverse that dominance and out-rebounded Xavier 28-19. 
The Eagles--led by Coach Al Bruehl (pictured right with RMC play-by-play man Tom Wuestenfeld, in the background from left: Quinton Gibson, Derrick Powe, and RMC color commentator Joe Phillips)--take to the court again tomorrow at 2:15 PM CST against California Baptist University, who defeated #13-seeded Lubbuck Christian (TX), 76-66. Cal Baptist is an at-large invitee from the Golden State Athletic Conference.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COMPLETE GAME BOX SCORE!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FIRST ROUND GAME REPLAY!
You can hear Tom Weustenfeld, the Voice of Robert Morris Basketball, with RMC Alum Joe Phillips on color commentary, call the exciting finish of Thursday morning's game. Hear all the post-game commentary and player & coach interviews as well.