Missouri’s Season Ends In NCAA Tourney Second Round

University of Missouri basketball saw a remarkable season end with a 78-63 loss to fifteenth-seeded Princeton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center.

The seventh-seeded Tigers (25-10), picked 11th in the Southeastern Conference preseason poll, made the league tournament semifinals for the first time and won the program’s first NCAA game in a decade in the inaugural season under Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates.

Missouri’s DeAndre Gholston credited Princeton’s game plan and its execution.

Head coach Dennis Gates was asked to reflect on the season.

2nd Round Scores
Princeton 78 Missouri 63
Arkansas 72 Kansas 71
Tennessee 65 Duke 52
Texas 71 Penn State 66
Alabama 73 Maryland 51
UCLA 68 Northwestern 63
Houston 81 Auburn 64
San Diego State 75 Furman 52

NAIA National Championships
Men

It took 27 years and a thrilling final 20 minutes of basketball for College of Idaho to earn its second national title. The Yotes held Indiana Tech off just long enough to complete its task and earn a 73-71 victory to hoist the coveted red banner.

College of Idaho did what it has done all season and started off the game red hot. The Yotes took control early and broke-off a 19-4 run to get things started. While the offense was impressive, the defense was just as. One of the top five in average defensive scoring margin in the 2023 NAIA National Championship field, the team from Caldwell, Idaho held the Warriors to six points in the first eight minutes, which set the tone.

The Yotes led by as much as 21 points in the first half as Tyler Robinett led the way. The sophomore was three-for-three from three-point range and led all scorers with nine points. Charles Elzie finished the opening frame with seven as Indiana Tech was able to cut the deficit to 19 before the break. Indiana Tech was held to just over 35 percent from the floor and went 1-7 from the free throw line.

Just 24 hours earlier, Indiana Tech erased a 16-point deficit, 11 at the half on their way to a win over Georgetown. On Saturday night, the Warriors looked to do the same and within minutes, began to cut into the lead.

Down by as many as 23 with just over 16 minutes to play, the Warriors put together a 10-2 run to begin climbing back. By the 12:01 mark, Rog Stein knocked-down a three-ball to put Indiana Tech within 13. Three and a half minutes later, the lead was down to 10 as College of Idaho called a timeout to try to end the momentum.

Indiana Tech climbed all the way back as the time continued to wind down. While College of Idaho was able to keep the Warriors at bay for the most part, they finally began to break through in the closing minutes.

The team from Fort Wayne brought it all the way back to within four, thanks in large part to the 18 points provided by Rog Stein, but came just short of repeating the magic of one night ago in the closing seconds.

Jake O’Neil led the Yotes with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Samaje Morgan added 13 points and Tyler Robinett chipped-in 11. In the end, however, it was Charles Elzie that was named the Chuck Taylor Tournament MVP for his outstanding performance throughout. The junior finished final site play with 67 points.

For Indiana Tech, bot Blake Davidson and Max Perez finished with 12 points while Josh Cline recorded 11 to round out the scorers in double digits, along with Stein’s 18.

College of Idaho finished the season on a 36-game win streak after suffering just one loss in the first game of the season to Arizona Christian.

Following the game, the All-Tournament Team was announced:

Women
The Clarke (Iowa) Pride won the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship over Thomas More (Ky.) 63-52 for Clarke’s first title on Saturday night in the Tyson Events Center.

Thomas More opened the season at No. 1 as the defending national champions and proceeded to go on a 22-game win streak. The only losses that TMU incurred throughout the season were to Mid-South Conference Opponents.

After losing in the quarterfinals of the Mid-South Conference tournament, the Saints earned an at-large bid into the NAIA championship tournament.

Thomas More has only been dealt one loss in NAIA championship tournament play in their history, which came in 2021 in the championship game against Westmont (Calif.).

From the other side of the bracket, Clarke (Iowa), was only dealt four losses on the season. Three of those losses came from Heart of America Athletic Conference opponent, Central Methodist (Mo.).

The Pride went on to qualify for the NAIA championship tournament as the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular-season runner-up after the team’s loss in the conference championship to CMU.

Nicole McDermott led the game with her 17 points while collecting 10 rebounds for the lone double-double of the contest. Her teammate, Giana Michels recorded double digits with 14 points as she notched a team-high two steals. Clarke’s national championship run as the No. 2-seed in the Duer quadrant culminates in a 33-4 record under head coach Courtney Boyd.

Boyd is now one of nine female head coaches that have won an NAIA Women’s Basketball title. This marks the 13th time that a female head coach has won an NAIA Women’s Basketball title.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

1st Team

Nicole McDermott, Clarke (Iowa)
Alex Smith, Thomas More (Ky.)
Savannah Waldorf, Dakota State (S.D.)
Leianaya Massenat, Central Methodist (Mo.)
2nd Team

Elsie Aslesen, Dakota State (S.D.)
Daryna Backkarova, Central Methodist (Mo.)
Jordan Sweeney, Montana Western
Zoie Barth, Thomas More (Ky.)
Giana Michels, Clarke (Iowa)
Hustle Award – Nicole McDermott, Clarke (Iowa)

Tournament MVP – Tina Uble, Clarke (Iowa)