Winona Lake, Indiana – Wayland Baptist is set to take on the Yellow Jackets of Cedarville University (OH.) in the NCCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Championship Game on Saturday at 1:00 PM CT.
The 2-seeded Pioneers are coming off a huge 18-point comeback win in double OT, 101-91, in the opening round against 7-seeded Asbury University, and a semi-final victory over the 6-seed SAGU – American Indian College, 64-57.
The Yellow Jackets are the tournaments #1 overall seed, and they are coming off an opening round win over 8-seed Alice Lloyd College, 87-73, and a semi-final win over 5-seeded Clinton College, 88-83.
In two games played during the NCCAA Tournament, Pioneer junior
Quenton Coleman is averaging 19 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 6 assists per game. Senior forward
D'Michael Bellfield is averaging 19.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, and shooting 65% from the floor in his two tournament games.
The Yellow Jackets are led by guard Chris Rogers, who is averaging 15.5 points per game and 4 rebounds per game during his two NCCAA Tournament contests. Senior Forward Grant Whisman is averaging 15 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, and shooting 55% from the floor.
This is the first season that Wayland Baptist has been a member of the NCCAA, and this is the first NCCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship appearance for the Pioneers. They will be looking to end their 2023-24 season with a Championship banner on Saturday afternoon.
