March 10, 2006

Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) knocked off top-seeded Embry-Riddle University (Fla.) 84-78 in the second round of the 15th Annual NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 2006 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

16th seed Mount Vernon Nazarene stormed out to their biggest lead of the game, 28-16, with just over eight minutes left in the first half. Embry-Riddle, however, erupted to outscore the Cougars 19-7 to lead 37-35 at halftime. The Eagles grabbed their biggest lead, 43-39, minutes into the second half. Mount Vernon Nazarene tied the game at 45 and took the lead for good, 52-50, with 10:16 left to play. Their lead increased to eight, 64-56, but top-seeded  Embry-Riddle went on a late run to cut the lead to three with under a minute to play. The Cougars sealed their upset win with clutch free throw shooting. It marks the third straight year that the top seed has lost in the second round.

Mount Vernon Nazarene was led by junior Ryan Seesholtz who just missed a double-double with 26 points and nine rebounds. Seesholtz, who scored his career high, made 5 of 8 field goal attempts and converted 16 of his 21 free throw opportunities. Three other players tallied double digits, led by junior Mark Hess with 13. Junior Steve Mayes recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards while guard Ben Falkenberg finished with 12 points. Mayes also blocked four shots and now has ten blocks in the tournament. The Cougars shot 39% from the field and made 36 of 48 of their free throws for 75%. The American Mideast Conference Tournament Champions advance to the elite eight for the second time in five national tournament appearances.

Three players scored in double figures for Embry-Riddle, led by senior guard Ben Witherspoon with 21. The Florida Sun Conference Tournament MVP made 8 of 11 shots, pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists. Conference player-of-the-year Michael Pyle scored 17 points while junior Denny Joseph added 16. The Eagles shot 43% from the field and had three players foul out. Embry-Riddle, who spent the last eight weeks ranked number one in the NAIA Men's Basketball rating, ends their season with an overall record of 31-3, their best regular season mark in the school's history. They were making their ninth national tournament appearance.

Mount Vernon Nazarene improves to 27-8 on the season with the win, which ties the school record for most wins in a season, and advances to the quarterfinal round on Saturday. The Cougars will face eighth-seed Lindenwood University (Mo.), who defeated ninth-seed Taylor (Ind.) 74-71 in overtime earlier today.  Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 14.

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