INDIANAPOLIS — Gannon men’s basketball reached a low-point in 2022-23. Its three wins were its fewest since the late 1940s and it had not won a PSAC Tournament game since 2017-18, which was also the last time it qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Three years, 92 wins and a couple PSAC tournament titles later, the Gannon Golden Knights are NCAA Division-II national champions for the first time in program history.
Make it four.
Ferris State had explosive starts to both halves on offense and went on to wallop Harding, 42-21, to win the Division II national championship Saturday at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. It was the fourth national championship in five years for Ferris State.
EVANSVILLE, IN. - Redemption. One year after falling at the buzzer in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team has reached the top of the NCAA Division II men's basketball world, as the Sharks won the program's second national championship, defeating Cal. State Dominguez Hills 74-73 on Saturday evening in the Ford Center.
MJ Iraldi led NSU in the effort, scoring a team-high 27 points and earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield has guided NSU to the program's second NCAA Division II National Championship, the 15th national title for the Nova Southeastern Athletics Department. The Sharks tied the program record for wins in a season (36), have the most wins in NCAA Men's Basketball, and closed the season on a 23-game winning streak.
First Half - Ryker Cisarik netted the first four points of the game for the Sharks, as NSU was able to take a quick lead over the Toros. A 9-0 run, which featured points from Dallas Graziani and MJ Iraldi, gave the Sharks a 13-5 lead less than five minutes into the game. Midway through the half, CSUDH was able to eliminate the NSU advantage, tying the game at 20-20. The Toros continued to hold on to an advantage for the remainder of the half, sending the Sharks into the break trailing 42-38.
Despite shooting just 16% from beyond the arc in the first half, the Sharks trailed the Toros by only four points. Tyler Eberhart led all NSU scorers in the opening 20 minutes, totaling 11 points while shooting 5-8 from the field.
Second Half - Eberhart knocked down a three-pointer, following a steal from Graziani, giving NSU some early momentum in the second half. The Sharks and Toros continued to match each other bucket for bucket, before Cisarik finished an and-one opportunity to tie the game 50-50 with 15:29 left in the game. The Sharks seized a bit of momentum, following the Cisarik and-one, rallying for a 10-2 run and taking a 60-52 lead. CSUDH All-American Jeremy Dent-Smith scored six consecutive points for the Toros, tying the game once again at 62-62. Both All-Americans - MJ Iraldi for NSU - in the title game matched each other down the stretch, but the Toros led 71-68 with less than two minutes remaining. Dent-Smith fouled out, sending Cisarik to the free throw line and the forward knocked down both to bring NSU within one. CSUDH missed a go-ahead three-pointer, as Ryan Davis came down with the defensive rebound, before Graziani hit a pair of clutch free throws to give NSU a 72-71 lead with less than 40 seconds left in the game. The Toros reclaimed the lead moments later, but after drawing a foul, Iraldi knocked down a pair of clutch free throws to give NSU a 74-73 lead.
With the opposing team possessing the ball in the final moments once again, the Sharks defense clamped down and forced a pair of missed opportunities; the final horn sounded and for the second time in three seasons, and second time in program history, head coach Jim Crutchfield's Nova Southeastern Sharks won the NCAA Division II national championship.
No. 2 Nova Southeastern has finished their season as NCAA Division II National Champions for the second time in program history. NSU Athletics thanks you for your support throughout the season.
MJ Iraldi: 27 points, 8-16 FG, 10-12 FT, nine rebounds
Tyler Eberhart: 14 points, 6-11 FG, six rebounds
Dallas Graziani: 13 points, nine assists
Ryker Cisarik: nine points
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 36-1 | No. 14 CSUDH 30-6
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 74 | No. 14 CSUDH 73
Location: Ford Center | Evansville, IN.
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Ferris State joined an elite group of NCAA Division II football dynasties on Saturday, blasting Valdosta State, 49-14, for its third national championship in four seasons.
Trinidad Chambliss signaled the rout early with a nimble 43-yard run on the Bulldogs’ first play from scrimmage, then finished with 153 yards and three touchdowns passing and 78 yards (on 13 carries) and two touchdowns rushing as Ferris State hoisted the NCAA trophy at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, for the third time, following back-to-back titles in 2021-22.
Tony Annese’s group is just the fifth program (since Division II began in 1973) with at least three titles in four seasons, following Northwest Missouri State (2013, ’15, ’16), Grand Valley State (2002, ’03, ’05, ’06), North Alabama (1993, ’94, ’95) and North Dakota State (1983, ’85, ’86, ’88).
Trophy time for Ferris State
The 2024 title comes after Ferris State lost its season opener, 19-3, to Pittsburg (Kan.) State. Since then, the Bulldogs have won 14 straight games, knocking off Division II's only remaining unbeaten team to get there.
Following chants from his players of “All day!” Annese received the trophy amid a sea of red and yellow confetti.
“This team just keeps on working," Annese said during the trophy presentation ceremony shown online by ESPN. "They’re definitely a team that knows what it takes to be great and pursue greatness every day. We lost our first game, we just kept on pursuing greatness and, at the end, this is what happens.”
Chambliss finished 11-for-20 passing, and his five total TDs gave him 51 on the season — 26 passing, 25 rushing.
"He’s such a great young man, so it’s awesome to coach him," Annese said. "I’m really tough on him. He said after he came off, the last thing was, ‘Man, love you coach, but you’re tough on me.’ So I, uh, expect perfection — he’s never gonna be perfect, but he’s close to it.”
During the trophy presentation, Chambliss shared credit with his teammates.
“Man, this team’s special, man," the Grand Rapids native said. "Ever since summer workouts, in August, and they doubted us. Vs. Pitt State — after Pitt State, everyone doubted us, and this team’s so special, I couldn’t be more proud of ’em.”
Chambliss shared the rushing load Saturday with Kannon Katzer. The former Washington State back rushed 14 times for 97 yards and added a touchdown catch for 30 yards.
“I got trust in these guys, they got trust in me," Chambliss said. "You know, this is the best team in the nation for a reason, they just work so hard in the offseason — any workout, they were there, man, so we just work hard and we’re a great team, so I’m just so proud.”
Plenty of misdirection early
Chambliss, who finished third in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy (D-II’s version of the Heisman Trophy), ignited the Ferris State attack with a 43-yard run up the left sideline after faking a pass to the far right side. The Bulldogs used the threat of the pass frequently to set up the run and had few issues moving the ball on the ground in the first quarter, racking up 86 yards on 10 runs in their first 11 plays.
Then, with a little under four minutes left in the first quarter, Ferris flipped the script. After a pair of RPO handoffs to sprinting slot receiver Emari O’Brien picked up 15 yards, the Bulldogs used their third play of the drive on another wide receiver run, as Chambliss handed off to wideout Brady Rose. Except this time, the former high school quarterback (at Muskegon Mona Shores) ran to the right side, planted his feet and lofted a deep ball that Cam Underwood was able to run underneath and rumble into the end zone for a 61-yard score.
On Ferris’ next drive, the Bulldogs again used the run to set up the pass, as an apparent option run by Chambliss to the left became a short lob pass to running back Kannon Katzer — the lead blocker on the play — for a 30-yard TD to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead with 12:39 left in the first half.Costly penalties
After the Bulldogs grabbed their early lead, the Blazers regrouped with a pair of stops, sandwiched around a touchdown drive aided by an offsides call on Ferris State defensive lineman Deron Irving-Bey (formerly of Michigan and Central Michigan) on fourth-and-1.
Valdosta State returned the favor on the final drive of the first half, extending the Bulldogs’ run with an offsides wiping out a punt and then a facemask grab for 15 yards on an apparent third-down stop. Four plays later, on fourth-and-5 with 15 seconds left, Chambliss found O’Brien uncovered on the left side on a crossing route, and the Detroit native went 30 yards untouched to the end zone as time expired, for a 28-7 Ferris lead.
Familiar faces
Saturday’s victory was also Ferris’ second title win against Valdosta State, with the Bulldogs topping the Blazers, 58-17, in the 2021 title game. That followed a 49-47 Valdosta win (featuring a failed 2-point conversion by Ferris State late) in the 2018 championship.
Ferris State has won nine straight postseason games with Annese on the sidelines. The Bulldogs' only NCAA playoff loss in the past four seasons came last year, a first-round defeat at the hands of rival Grand Valley State in which Annese was suspended by the NCAA for the Bulldogs' cigar-smoking celebration following their 2022 title game win over Colorado School of Mines in McKinney.
Contact Ryan Ford atrford@freepress.com. Follow him on X at@theford or on Bluesky at @theford.bsky.social .
EVANSVILLE, Ind. --- The NCAA DII National Championship game came down to the closing seconds Saturday afternoon but a three pointer in the corner by Kyreese Willingham with 0.8 seconds left proved to be the difference as Minnesota State won its first NCAA DII Championship over Nova Southeastern by the score of 88-85.
With the win, MSU finishes its season with a 35-2 record. With the loss, NSU finishes its season with a 32-3 record.
The opening minutes of the game saw the Sharks take advantage of a few MSU turnovers as they built a 12-2. After taking a timeout, the Mavericks got back on track with a pair of baskets from Dylan Peeters and Elijah Hazekamp to get back within five of NSU at 12-7 with 15:06 to go in the half. By the midpoint of the first half NSU was able to extend its lead to 21-12 with 10:32 to go, with MSU's two scores coming courtesy of Justin Eagins and Malcolm Jones.
The Mavericks then responded with a 16-6 run over the next four minutes to take a 28-27 lead. Four Mavericks scored during that stretch, including Harrison Braudis and Kyreese Willingham who each tallied five points. The lead would exchange three more times up to the 4:00 media timeout as NSU led the Mavericks 34-33.
The final four minutes of the half saw two more lead changes as the Sharks carried a 40-38 lead into halftime.
All eight Mavericks who saw the court in the opening stanza reached the scoring column. MSU was paced by Peeters who notched eight points, behind a 4-of-5 effort from the field. Both Braudis and Kyreese Willingham notched seven points each. Hazekamp led the Mavericks in rebounds in the first half with five.
As a unit, MSU shot 45.2% from the field in the first half. The Mavericks also passed out eight assists.
Ryker Cisarik led all scorers in the first half with nine points, while Shane Hunter tallied eight points.
As a team, NSU shot 37.5% from the field. The Sharks also forced nine Maverick turnovers.
The second half saw the Mavericks come out firing on all cylinders as they started the half on a 10-0 run to take a 48-40 lead with 18:41 to go. Eagins notched five of MSU's 10 points during the opening stretch of the second half. With 11:20 remaining in the game the Mavericks led by 10 at 68-58 as Braudis, Eagins, Hazekamp and Malik Willingham each connected from downtown.
Trailing 71-58 with 11:19 to go, the Sharks then put together a 13-0 run to tie the game at 71-71 with 6:55 to go in the game. The lead would change hands a few more times as the game remained tied at 85-85 with 1:15 to go.
The Mavericks had the first chance at taking the lead in the final minute but their shot just missed and was rebounded by NSU. Then with 27 seconds to go in the game, Malik Willingham got the steal underneath the basket and called a timeout.
As he had during the NCAA Central Region Championship, Malik Willingham had the ball in the closing seconds before finding the open man, this time his brother Kyreese Willingham, in the corner who drained the three pointer with 0.8 seconds left on the clock to put MSU up 88-85. An FSU turnover on the inbounds pass sealed the deal for the Mavericks.
Peeters finished with a team-leading 19 points, to go along with four assists, as he shot 9-of-10 from the field. Eagins added 17 points and six rebounds, while Malik Willingham, Kyreese Willingham and Braudis each tallied 12 points. Malik also tallied five assists and five steals, while Kyreese hauled in five rebounds. Braudis also passed out three assists as he finished 4-of-5 from the field.
As a unit, MSU shot 52.4% from the field, including a 14-of-32 (.438) showing from downtown. The Mavericks also passed out 18 assists and recorded 10 steals.
MJ Iraldi led the Sharks with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Hunter notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Fuller recorded 12 points of his own.
As a team, NSU shot 44.6% from the field, including a 5-of-9 performance from three point range. The Sharks also hauled in 42 rebounds.
Malik Willingham was named Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player. Kyreese Willigham also qualified for the All-Tournament Team.
MCKINNEY, Texas — Harding made history by winning its first NCAA Division II national championship in a 38-7 victory over top-seeded Colorado School of Mines at McKinney ISD Stadium in Texas on Saturday.
The Bisons recorded 502 rushing yards in the winning effort to become the first school in NCAA history with more than 6,000 yards on the ground in a single season.
"It's 100 percent guys that love each other, believe in the brotherhood that care deeply," Harding head coach Paul Simmons said. "Let's honor God with how we love one another, how we work, how we sacrifice... that was really evident with how we battled today."
Running back Blake Delacruz led the way for Harding with 212 yards on 27 carries, while Braden Jay rushed 11 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
Colorado School of Mines struck first on a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Matocha to running back Nick Roper. The score gave the Orediggers a 7-0 lead with 9:06 to play in the first quarter.
But from there, it was all Bisons.
Harding, who finished the season with a perfect 14-0 record, scored 38 unanswered points and held Colorado School of Mines to 341 yards of total offense to secure the championship victory.
Bison running back Jhalen Spicer started the scoring party with a 10-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. Jay gave Harding the lead with rushing scores of 10 and nine yards in the second quarter to push the Bisons ahead 21-7 at the half.
Harding made a statement on its opening drive of the third quarter with a four-play, 87-yard drive capped by a 73-yard rushing touchdown by Jay.
Leading 31-7 with 11:58 to play in the fourth quarter, quarterback Cole Keylon pounded in a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Bisons a 38-7 lead.
Keylon completed two passes for 46 yards and added 20 rushing yards on seven carries.
Finally. After years of coming close, coach Jim Crutchfield is a DII men’s basketball national champion as the Sharks are champions for the first time in program history. Nova Southeastern defeated West Liberty, 111-101, in the highest scoring championship game in history and one of the more memorable title games in the history of the division.
Nova Southeastern becomes the sixth undefeated champion in DII men’s basketball history. The Sharks also became just the second team to score 100 points in the championship game, joining Virginia Union’s 1992 championship team. The 111 points are not only the new DII championship game record, but the most points scored in any college basketball championship game, men's or women's.
The storylines heading into this game were bountiful. Nova Southeastern head coach Jim Crutchfield became just the third DII men’s basketball coach to take two different programs to the championship game. The other team? The squad staring him down on the other side of the court. He led West Liberty to a national runners-up finish in 2014 when current head coach Ben Howlett was his assistant.
This was the first time the two top scoring teams faced each other in the DII men’ s basketball championship game. And the two teams certainly filled the bill. The first half went to Nova Southeastern, which came out of the high-scoring half with a 55-48 lead, the most combined points in the first half of a DII men’s basketball championship game. Bevo Francis finalist RJ Sunahara came out on fire, scoring nine of the first 15 points of the game and finishing the half with 20 as the Sharks set the DII championship game record for most first half points.
West Liberty was a bit apprehensive at first and it took about 10 minutes to get comfortable and knock the jitters out. Bryce Butler, another Bevo Francis finalist, was held to just one shot in the first 10 minutes of the game, and the Hilltoppers need him going to get that high-octane motor rolling.
Dallas Graziani provided a spark for the Sharks when West Liberty pulled it close, hitting a pair of big 3s and getting fouled on a third attempt. A pretty lob that Sunahara finished off with a dunk certainly helped keep the momentum going. But the half ended in a scoring flurry from the suddenly hot Hilltoppers and Sharks. Step back 3s that hit nothing but net from Zach Rasile and Will Yoakum — who had a monster first half himself — were exchanged like blows in a heavyweight match to close the half in one of the most exciting minutes of play all season. The two teams combined to go 13 for 26 from behind the arc in the first half.
And that was just the first half. Act II was equally intense.
The second half was much more physical, with a pair of flagrant fouls from West Liberty in about four minutes to start the half. Every point was earned, as bodies hit the floor on every drive, with neither team wanting to relent and more than 50 combined fouls between the two teams.
But even that couldn’t stop these high-flying offenses.
Butler was sensational in the loss and played hard to the final whistle, almost single handedly keeping the Hilltoppers in the game. He sparked a late 11-2 run that brought the Hilltoppers in striking distance. He finished with 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting and nine rebounds. Chris Montague had a big day from 3, going 5 for 7 from behind the arc and finishing with 19.
Inevitably, there was too much foul trouble for West Liberty to overcome. Yoakum, who found himself in foul trouble early in the second half, was used as a free throw specialist, and finished with 31 points, capping a brilliant postseason with his third 30-point game in his final four tries. Sunahara fouled out, but still finished with 28 points and nine rebounds. Graziani’s engine never stopped, finishing with 24 points and nine assists.
It was a thrilling game from start to finish, one that there were no ties or lead changes. The top two offenses in the land delivered one of the most memorable performances in DII Men's Elite Eight history, and the Sharks walk away the winners of the 2023 national championship.
It’s 1,050 miles from Muskegon, Michigan, to McKinney, Texas, the site of the 2022 Division II NCAA football title game.
But on Saturday, the two seemed a lot closer as Ferris State wide receivers Brady Rose and CJ Jefferson — who both starred for Muskegon high school teams — delivered big plays in the Bulldogs’ 41-14 mauling of Colorado School of Mines for FSU’s second straight national championship.
Ferris State became the fourth team to win back-to-back D-II titles this century, and the first since Northwest Missouri State did it in 2015-16. (Grand Valley State also won consecutive titles in 2002-03 and 2005-06.)
Rose, the former Mona Shores star, connected with Jefferson, the former Muskegon standout, for a 48-yard gain on a halfback pass early in the second quarter to set up a field goal, and Jefferson had a 19-yard run for a touchdown late in the quarter to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 20.
Meanwhile, Ferris State’s defense harassed Mines QB John Matocha and completely shut down the Orediggers’ offense. Mines entered Saturday’s game averaging more than 40 points a game; it managed just 21 yards in the first half. Matocha, who won the Harlon Hill Trophy (D-II’s version of the Heisman) on Friday night, had just two completions in the first half — and one to a Ferris State player; Matocha’s throw late in the second quarter popped off the hands of his receiver and into the arms of FSU defensive back Sidney McCloud, who took it 31 yards for a 27-point FSU lead.
The Bulldogs’ offense did just fine without a Harlon Hill finalist, as Mylik Mitchell completed 14 of 18 passes for 161 yards to keep FSU moving. Jefferson had seven catches for 95 yards and Rose added four catches for 50 yards and five rushes for 39 yards to his long pass. (He also had a tackle on defense.)
On defense, FSU’s Caleb Murphy, the Harlon Hill runner-up, went without a sack — he had 25½ entering the game — but still had three tackles (1½ for loss) and pressured Matocha all day. Jordan Jones had two sacks and 2½ tackles for loss for the Bulldogs as well. The dominance on defense for FSU was such that the Orediggers didn’t pick up their initial first down until there was 7:26 remaining in the second quarter; the Orediggers’ first third-down conversion didn’t come until there was just 16:27 remaining in the game, after nine straight failures.
Indeed, prior to the third-down conversion — a 6-yard pass from Matocha to T Smith on third-and-4 from FSU’s 16 — Mines’ biggest play had been a 25-yard punt that bounced off an FSU player and was recovered for a 50-yard gain. The Bulldogs’ defense recovered quickly, forcing two incompletions, a run for no gain and, finally, a sack by Jones on fourth-and-10. After the Orediggers got their first third-down conversion, they scored on the next play on a 10-yard pass from Matocha to Michael Zeman.
After another Ferris State touchdown and a swap of fruitless drives by each team, Mines scored its second TD as Matocha found Josh Johnston on a 14-yard pass.
But Ferris State wasn’t done, as Mitchell led the Bulldogs on another clock-killing drive before handing the reins at quarterback in the red zone to Carson Gulker. He scored his third TD of the game on a push by the offensive line that carried him about 6 yards. Gulker had eight carries for 17 yards but scored from 2, 1 and 6 yards out.
The Bulldogs finish the season at 14-1, with their lone loss coming Oct. 15 against Grand Valley State. This is FSU’s eighth straight 11-win season, the fourth-longest active streak in all divisions, behind only Ohio State (10, Alabama (10) and FCS-level North Dakota State (11).
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Despite all the madness, surprises and a five-loss season in Maryville, Missouri, the 2022 DII men’s basketball season ended how many felt it would back in November. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats are your 2022 DII men’s basketball national champions, defeating Augusta 67-58.
It is the third championship in a row — a DII record — for the Bearcats and fourth in five tournaments. NABC player of the year Trevor Hudgins and his backcourt companion Diego Bernard have been there for every game. The duo are a combined 17-0 in NCAA DII tournament play — the DII record for most consecutive tournament wins, mind you — on arguably the single most dominant stretch in the history of DII men’s hoops.
Hudgins was pivotal in turning the game around. The Bearcats trailed early, by as much as seven, and it was in large part due to Tyshaun Crawford, Augusta’s 7-foot-1 big man. Whether he was scoring or drawing the double team for wide open 3-pointers, the Jaguars were controlling the game and led 17-10 halfway through the first half.
With both Bernard and Wes Dreamer on the bench in foul trouble, Hudgins took over, hitting consecutive 3s and finding a wide open Mitch Mascari for a third to take a 21-20 lead. Northwest Missouri State went on 18-4 run in the latter stages of the first half to open it up and would never trail again.
You can’t look back at the 2022 DII Men’s Elite Eight without discussing the dominance of Augusta’s big man. Crawford set a record by shooting 100% from the field in the semifinals and when you throw on top of it that he is left handed, he is a handful for any team. The 7-footer was a menace against a Bearcats whose tallest players were 6-foot-7, and even without the ball he’s a matchup nightmare, requiring multiple players to keep him at bay and creating opportunities for others.
That was the case on a late 12-2 run that got the Jaguars back in the game. Ja’Queze Kirby (7 poiunts, 9 rebounds) was terrific off the boards and helped lead the Jaguars as they got as close as one with less than four minutes remaining. Augusta had a chance to pull closer, but struggled from the line. One of the best shooting teams in DII had the Bearcats in foul trouble all game, but went just 17-29 from the free-throw line.
Northwest Missouri State was able to hold one of the best shooting teams in DII to 36.7% shooting from the field and 26% from 3. The Jaguars were a team that shot over 40% from both throughout the season. The Bearcats also won the turnover battle and dominated in points-off-turnovers margin.
The Bearcats have cemented their spot as the greatest dynasty in DII men's basketball history. Once again, they end the season as national champions, winners of the 2022 title.
LEADERS NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE AUGUSTA
Points T. Hudgins - 31 T. Crawford - 15
Rebounds B. Alexander, D. Abreu - 5 T. Crawford - 11
Assists T. Hudgins - 5 T. Crawford - 4
Steals L. Waters - 3 T. Myers - 2
3-pointers T. Hudgins - 5 T. Cracknell, M. Arnold - 2
MCKINNEY, Texas -- Quarterback Jared Bernhardt had three touchdown runs in the first half as undefeated Ferris State built a big lead and cruised to its first Division II football championship with a 58-17 rout of Valdosta State on Saturday night.
It was the most points scored in a D-II title game since Delta State beat Bloomsburg 63-34 in 2000. It was also the largest margin of victory since Northern Colorado's 51-0 win against New Haven in 1997.
Ferris State (14-0) finished with 581 yards of offense, 459 yards on the ground, to cap its dominate season. Twelve of the Bulldogs' 14 wins were by double digits.
Bernhardt, a graduate transfer from Maryland playing in his only collegiate football season, was one of the nation's top lacrosse players in his four seasons with the Terrapins. He finished with 148 yards rushing on 14 carries, didn't throw a pass and sat out most of the second half.
Bernhardt scored on a 56-yard run on Ferris State's first play from scrimmage. He added a 78-yard TD run and later a 2-yard score that stretched the lead to 27-17. The Bulldogs broke the game open when Mylik Mitchell threw a strike to a wide-open Tyrese Hunt-Thompson, who ran untouched into the end zone for a 47-yard score with 11 seconds to play in the first half.
The Bulldogs racked up 365 yards rushing and had just two pass attempts for a 41-17 halftime advantage. Mitchell threw both passes with Bernhardt on the sideline resting a sore ankle. Bernhardt had 12 carries for 145 yards in the half. Jeremy Burrell added 95 yards rushing and Tyler Minor had 45 and each ran for a score.
Minor finished with 125 yards on eight carries. Burrell ran four times for 103 yards. Liam Daly had a 37-yard pick-6 late in the third quarter.
Ferris State coach Tony Annese, in his ninth season with the Bulldogs, is 41-2 in the past three seasons.
Ivory Durham was 14-of-34 passing for 158 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Valdosta State (12-2).
The teams also played in the 2018 championship at McKinney ISD Stadium, with the Blazers collecting their fourth title since 2002 in a 49-47 victory.
EVANSVILLE, Indiana – The Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team captured the program's third NCAA Division II national championship with an 80-54 victory over the West Texas A&M University Buffaloes Saturday in the Ford Center.
The Bearcats left no doubt they are the premier men's basketball program at the Division II level by running roughshod through the Elite Eight. Northwest won its three games by a total margin of 78 points – setting the Elite Eight record that was set previously by Jefferson in the 1970 tournament (75 points).
The 26-point win ranks as the second-largest margin of victory in the championship game. North Carolina Central won the 1989 national title by a 27-point margin.
Senior Ryan Hawkins was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Elite Eight as he poured in a championship game-high 31 points and 18 rebounds. Hawkins buried 10-of-16 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 from deep. He was 9-of-10 at the line.
Sophomore Wes Dreamer shouldered a heavy scoring load in the win over West Texas A&M as he tallied 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Dreamer connected on 3-of-5 from three-point land and snared his third career double-double with 11 rebounds.
Junior Trevor Hudgins, who was also named to the all-tournament team, contributed with 15 points, five assists and two steals. He finished his season with an NCAA-high 90 made three-pointers.
Sophomore Luke Waters was the fourth Bearcat in double-figure scoring with 13 points
West Texas A&M held a short-lived 6-2 lead nearly three minutes into the contest. Northwest responded to the deficit with a 9-0 that relied heavily on Hawkins and Hudgins. Hawkins buried a pair of free throws with 11:12 to play in the half and at that point Hawkins or Hudgins had scored all 19 of Northwest's points.
The Bearcats opened up a working margin with a 19-6 run in which Dreamer scored the final eight points to give Northwest a 32-19 lead with 7:32 left in the half. Northwest continued to build on its lead and took a 19-point bulge into the locker room at 48-29. Northwest's balance offense featured 15 points from Hawkins and Hudgins, while Dreamer contributed with 12 first-half points. Northwest held West Texas A&M to its lowest first-half point total of the season at 29.
Northwest's defensive prowess took over as West Texas A&M could muster only 10 points through the first 13:53 of the second half. While the Buffaloes were stumbling, the Bearcats were continuing to increase its lead. Northwest would lead by as many as 35 in the second half at 74-39 with 7:34 left to play.
The Bearcats shot 50% from the field (27-of-54) and knocked in 46.7% of their three-point shots (7-of-15). The Buffaloes struggled to find their mark shooting 31.3% for the game (20-of-64) and only 20.8% from three-point range (5-of-24).
West Texas A&M's scoring duo of Qua Grant and Joel Murray combined to score 32 points in Saturday's championship game. Grant tallied 20 points (7-of-17 FGs), while Murray battled foul trouble and was limited to 12 points (7-of-17 FGs). The pair came into the contest averaging nearly 45 points per game.
Elite Eight All-Tournament Team
Ryan Hawkins, Northwest Mo. St. - Most Outstanding Player
Trevor Hudings, Northwest Mo. St.
Qua Grant, West Texas A&M
JoJo Murray, West Texas A&M
Jordan Guest, Lincoln Memorial
NOTES: Northwest is 3-0 in national championship games ... Northwest is 34-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament play ... Head coach Ben McCollum recorded his 300th career coaching victory in the win over West Texas A&M. McCollum has guided Northwest to a mark of 300-78 over 12 seasons … McCollum is 23-5 in NCAA Tournament play ... McCollum is 35-3 as a coach in the month of March ... Northwest has won 17 of its last 18 NCAA Tournament games … Northwest previously captured men's basketball national championships in 2017 and 2019 … the Bearcat football program won NCAA Division II national titles in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016 … the Bearcats have won 43 straight games on neutral floors … Northwest is 97-3 over the past three seasons … Northwest is 159-8 over the last five seasons … Northwest's 28 wins this season is the most of any NCAA Division II school … the 28 wins for the Bearcats ties them with Gonzaga for the most NCAA men's basketball victories this season.
