March 10, 2006

#2 Huntington College  (Ind.) defeated  #15 Evangel  (Mo.) 104-93 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.).

Huntington stormed out to a 17-4 lead and never trailed against Evangel, leading by as much as 21in the opening half. Huntington shot an incredible 63% from the field, 67% (6/9) from the three point line and committed just two turnovers in the first twenty minutes. Evangel shot a blistering 71% in the second half and cut the Forester lead to single digits, 91-83, with under five minutes to play. They would not get any closer however, as Huntington withstood the comeback attempt.

Huntington was once again led by junior Alex Kock, who for the second straight game topped 30 points. The Mid-Central College co-player-of-the-year scored 35 points, 26 in the first half, on 13 of 21 from the field. He also led the team with eight rebounds. Junior Kyle Ganton netted 21 points and Doug Scheckler scored 18. Jared Yoder dished out a tournament high 15 assists to go along with his nine points. The Foresters shot 63% for the game and 55% from beyond the arc. They lead the tournament in scoring offense averaging over 100 points per game. Huntington is making their sixth national tournament appearance and third trip to the quarterfinals.

Evangel was led by sophomore center Tim Dial who scored 25 points, making 12 of 19 field goals. Shane Nicholson and Ryan Luethy added 18 and 17 points respectively as the Crusaders had a total of five players score in double figures. Evangel shot 61% from the field and outscored Huntington 58-50 in the second half. The Crusaders were making their first national tournament appearance since 2002 and fifth overall. They are the first HAAC team to lose in the tournament, as Lindenwood (Mo.) and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) both advanced to the Elite Eight. One more HAAC school, William Jewell (Mo.) still has to play in the second round. Evangel ends their season with a 24-11 record.

Huntington, the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament champion, improves to 30-5 on the season with the win and advances to the quarterfinal round on Saturday. They will face the winner of the #7 Warner Pacific (Ore.) and #10 Morningside (Iowa) contest which is the last game of Friday's second round. Saturday's quarterfinal game is scheduled for 8 p.m. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 14.

Box Score