Box Score
Video Highlights
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Trevonta Robertson scored 23 points, Samuel Kalwanyi barely missed a double-double, and Tyrone Davis didn't miss a field goal attempt while scoring 14 points as the trio led Wayland Baptist to a 68-44 blowout victory over seventh-ranked Central Methodist (Mo.) in the opening round of the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championships here Wednesday night.
The victory sends Wayland (24-9), a No. 7 seed in its quadrant of the 32-team bracket, into a second-round game against 23rd-ranked Life, Ga. (21-11) at 2:15 p.m. Friday in Municipal Auditorium. Life, the defending national runner-up seeded sixth, knocked off third-seeded, 10th-ranked William Carey, Miss., 68-67.
Subscription streaming is available here; live stats are available here; and complete tournament coverage is available here.
Against Central Methodist (24-7), Wayland – ranked the equivalent of 26th in the NAIA – led by seven at the half, 31-24, then scored the first eight points of the second half to take command. Robertson accounted for the first six of Wayland's 8-0 run after intermission.
The Eagles didn't get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Robertson's 23 points was one off his season-best. Kalwanyi ended with 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, barely missing what would have been his seventh double-double.
"Sammy was awesome today," Harrelson said, adding, "All four of our bigs were good. Kraig (Shields), Rokas (Mazionis) and Marko (Zelic) didn't play a lot of minutes, but they were all solid."
The 44 points (Central Methodist was averaging 81 ppg) was Wayland's best defensive effort – by eight – of the season. In fact, it was the fewest points allowed by a Pioneers team since an 85-22 win over West Coast Baptist early in the 2011-12 season.
"My first year (at Wayland) I would have been happy if we held somebody to 44 points in a half," Harrelson joked.
The win was WBU's first at nationals in a decade after the Pioneers had dropped their last three games in Kansas City.
With Robertson hitting eight of his 10 field goals and Davis making all five of his, Wayland shot 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field, compared to just 30 percent (16-of-53) for Central Methodist. Robertson drained 3-of-4 3-pointers.
"Trevonta was huge today," Harrelson said. "He made several jump shots and also got the ball to the hoop. He had a great shooting performance in a gym where guys didn't shoot the ball well all day. Trevonta showed on a national stage what he's capable of."
The coach credited Davis for getting the Pioneers on the right track early.
"Tyrone got us started. He was really tough around the basket at the start of the game."
Harrelson also said Chris Doerue was "very effective" with four points, three rebounds and two assists. "Chris came in in the first half when the game was kind of tight and did some things to really help us out. It was a great game from a kid who's waited all season. He was ready for the moment."
The Pioneers enjoyed a hot-shooting performance despite the normally-accurate Ruben Lopez, the team's top scorer, going 1-for-11, including 1-of-8 from long range.
Harrelson said he's not concerned about Lopez in the least.
"Ruben knows it was just one of those things, but I thought he played a good all-around game. He delivered the ball where it needs to go, organized everything and controlled tempo."
With 15, Terrance Bush was the only Eagle with more than eight points. Wayland held Brian Egejuru, the NAIA's No. 9 scorer averaging 21 points, to eight on 3-of-15 shooting. Egejuru did not score in the second half.
Harrelson credited Robertson, J.J. Culver, Tre Fillmore and Doerue for shutting down Egejuru, who had scored in double-digits in 18 straight games and who put in 42 points earlier this season.
"Those guys gave an awesome effort. They were relentless on him. They had a high level of communication."
Should Wayland defeat Life, the Pioneers would play in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Saturday against either top-seeded, third-ranked LSU Shreveport (28-4), a 72-63 winner over Harris-Stowe State (Mo.), or fifth-seeded, 18th-ranked Dillard, La. (21-9), which downed fourth-seeded, 13th-ranked Westmont, Calif., 74-71..
"We'll use tomorrow to rest and prepare," Harrelson said. "For the moment it's just nice to be back in the sweet 16 again and get that first win (at nationals) in 10 years."
