Winona Lake, Indiana – The Wayland Baptist Pioneers are advancing to the 2024 NCCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Championship Game after knocking off SAGU – American Indian College 64-57 in the semi-final matchup on Thursday afternoon.
Wayland Baptist fell behind 4-0 after a minute of play, but
Bol Tong started the Pioneer scoring with a three, and
D'Michael Bellfield scored a bucket off the pass from
Quenton Coleman to give the Pioneers a 5-4 lead. The Pioneers got a quick 5-0 scoring burst from
Rodney Carson Jr. as he drained a corner three and finished a layup to give make it 10-8, Pioneers.
At the seven-minute mark of the first half, the Warriors hit a three to give them their largest lead of the contest at 12 points, holding a 30-18 lead over Wayland Baptist. Tong scored the next 6 points for the Pioneers to bring them back to within six with five minutes until the halftime break. The Pioneers trailed 36-27 going into the halftime break.
Wayland Baptist began chipping away at the Warrior lead over the first six minutes of the second half, but a steal and a bucket by
Jahvonta Jones put the Pioneers back in front, 41-40, for the first time since the 15:16 mark of the first half. Jones then knocked down a corner three to make it 44-42 in favor of the Pioneers with just under ten minutes remaining in regulation.
With the game tied at 44 and just under nine minutes to go in the game, Carson Jr. was able to find
Meikkel Murray cutting down the baseline for a two-handed slam to put the Pioneers in front, 46-44. Tong knocked down his 5
th three of the afternoon with just under four minutes remaining to give the Pioneers a 57-50 lead. The Pioneers drained their free throws down the stretch and booked their ticket into the Finals with a 64-57 victory.
Tong lit up the Warriors for 20 points, 5 rebounds, two blocks, and 5-10 from 3-point range. Bellfield finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7-10 shooting from the floor. Jones added 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3-4 shooting from the floor. Carson Jr. added 7 points, 2 assists, and a steal.
This is the first year that Wayland Baptist has been an official member of the NCCAA, and the Pioneers' first appearance in the NCCAA National Championships.
The Pioneers will be looking to win their first NCCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship as they face the winner of the second semi-final game between 5-seed Clinton College and 1-seed Cedarville University on Saturday at 1:00 PM CT.
