Eagles Advance To National Tournament After Another Postseason Rally
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
35 | 39 | 74 |
|
|
40 | 24 | 64 |
Team Stats
Trinity Bible College
| Game Statistics | Faith Baptist Bible College | Trinity Bible College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-80) | (24-57) |
| Field Goal % | 36.3% | 42.1% |
| Rebounds | 50 | 30 |
| Assists | 18 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 3 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 23 | 2 |
| Pts in the Paint | 42 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 19 | 2 |
ELLENDALE, North Dakota—Your Faith Eagles are headed to the NCCAA Division II National Tournament after another thrilling, come from behind victory in the regional final with a 74-64 win over Trinity Bible College.
Trinity, the host school for the region, was riding a wave of late-season success with two consecutive upsets over Central Christian College and Calvary to reach the final game. Playing on their home court, the upset-minded Lions gave the Eagles all they could handle for 39 minutes before Faith pulled away in the last 60 seconds.
It was a close game from start to finish with five ties and 12 lead changes. The Eagles built a five-point lead with 8:36 to go in the first half before Trinity ended the half on a 17-7 run to take a 40-35 lead into the locker room.
Trinity built a nine-point lead (its largest lead of the game) with 12:12 to play, but true to form this entire postseason, the Eagles rallied to regain the lead at 62-61 with 5:13 remaining. Trinity tied the game on the ensuing possession with a made free-throw, but Nathan Keck answered with two free-throws of his own on the following play, and the Eagles never trailed the remainder of the game.
Keck led all scorers with 29 points and chipped in a game-high 15 rebounds for good measure. The Eagles shot just 36.3 percent from the floor (6-of-24 from three), but crushed Trinity on the glass, outrebounding them 50-30, with 20 offensive rebounds.
Faith heads to the national tournament in Joplin, Missouri, where they will play their first-round game on Thursday, March 12. Time and opponent to be determined. The Eagles will attempt to win the school's first-ever national championship on the same court it won the conference title one week ago.
