Kansas City, Mo. (March 18, 2011) - No. 5 seed Martin Methodist (Tenn.) staged an early second-half comeback to knock off No. 12 seed Tougaloo (Miss.), 88-77 at the 2011 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship. The RedHawks scored 52 points after the break to stump the 7-man Tougaloo squad Friday at Municipal Auditorium.Martin Methodist improves its record to 33-2 overall and got its first-ever second round win in national championship play. The Bulldogs fell short of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time and will end their season with a 28-5 mark.
Tougaloo went on a scoring spree in the first half as Donteeno Todd, Mario Luckett and Marquise Mems all reached the double-digit plateau. Todd led the Bulldog scoring efforts with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from downtown. Tougaloo also won a battle on the defensive front as it forced 13 RedHawk first-half turnovers. Martin Methodist's Ree McCrory, who played all 20 minutes of the first half, scored 16 points and was 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
To begin the second half, Martin Methodist went on a 17-2 run and brought the game back within reach. The RedHawks grabbed a 53-52 lead with 15:20 remaining, which was their first lead since the beginning moments of the game at 3-2. The two seeded squads remained in a stalemate, trading baskets with each other for the next 10 minutes, but Martin Methodist went on a 14-3 run to finish off the Bulldogs.
It was just the eighth time that the RedHawks have trailed at halftime and they are now victorious in six of the eight contests. Junior guards McCrory and James Justice both reached the 500-point mark for the season with 28 and 24 points, respectively. Compared to shooting 39.3 percent in the first stanza, Martin Methodist came out and shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half. Forward Chris Leggett logged a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. LaQuantis Stewart also grabbed 10 rebounds for the game and helped the RedHawks outrebound Tougaloo 49-37.
Bulldogs senior forward Mario Luckett ended his career with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The outing gave Luckett his ninth double-double of the season. After shooting 6-of-19 for 3-pointers before the break, the Bulldogs went cold, shooting 2-for-11 in the final 20 minutes.
Game Notes:
Tougaloo (Miss.) -- Tougaloo falls to 0-2 in second round games...Martin Methodist's 88 points is the six time the Bulldogs have allowed more than 80 points, as Tougaloo entered the contest ranked 13th in scoring defense per game (65.2)...junior guard Donteeno Todd's 15 points off the bench extend his double figure scoring streak to three games...senior forward Mario Luckett registered his ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) - Martin Methodist advances to the quarterfinals for the first time in six appearances...the Redhawks become the fourth top-five seed to earn a spot in the round of eight...junior guards Ree McCrory and James Justice eclipse the 500 point plateau with 24 and 23 points...Justice has scored at least 11 points in eight straight games...the Redhawks 88 points is the 24th time Martin Methodist has scored more than 80 points this season...Redhawks extend win streak with six games.
Courtesy of NAIA
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