CIRCLEVILLE, OH- The Patriots competed in the first round of the NCCAA Men's Basketball Division II National Championship, going up against No. 9, Pensacola Christian College.  The Patriots trailed by nine, 32-41, going into the half and despite out-scoring the Eagles in the second period, were unable to overcome the point deficit and lost by a final score of 71-75.

Entering into the National Tournament with one of the youngest teams in recent program history, the Patriots biggest hurdle to overcome would be nerves.  The Eagles used this to their advantage, jumping out to a solid head start and shooting 56% from floor.  The Patriots gradually went on a roll but were unable to create the open shot, managing just 34% from the floor.  The men faced a nine-point gap going into the second half, 32-41.

Finally the tables started to turn for the Patriots and they gradually chipped away at the deficit.  They pressured the Eagles, limiting them to just 12-26 from the floor while going 15-35 on their end.  The biggest improvement came in the form of turnovers; the men committed a second-half season low of four turnovers. With the minutes ticking away, the Patriots started to face another problem.  Fouls.  With three of their five starters facing foul trouble, the men needed to play a safe game and slow their pace. With time and fouls working against them, the Patriots were unable pull off the come-from-behind victory.  Cutting the loss to just four points, the Patriots yielded to Eagles by a final score of 71-75.

At the end of the night, Kevin Mack recorded a total of 17 points with three assists.  Point guard Lance Harris notched 16 points with seven rebounds and five assists, while Demitrius Muse tallied 10 points and two steals.

The Patriots move on to the consolation bracket to play Kuyper College, Thursday, March 13.  The game is set to start at 11:30am.

Go Patriots!