EVANSVILLE, Ind. – No. 8 Flagler College took on one of the best teams in the country in No. 4 Northwest Missouri State University and came up on the short end of a 77-46 score in the second semifinal of the NCAA Division II National Championship Thursday night at the Ford Center.

The Saints, the No. 3 seed, finished with an 18-3 overall record, the best winning percentage (.857) in the 48-year history of the program. Northwest Missouri, the No. 2 seed, improved to 27-2 overall and advance to Saturday's national championship game where it will face No. 1 seed West Texas A&M University at noon.

The Bearcats scored the first seven points of the game, but the Saints bounced right back and pulled to within one (10-9) on a Chase Fiddler 3-pointer.

But midway through the first half, Northwest Missouri went on a 21-2 run that eventually led to a 40-24 halftime lead.

Ryan Hawkins, who leads the country in points and rebounds, finished the game with a double-double as he scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, both game-highs. Luke Waters added 15 points while Trevor Hudgins, the NABC Division II Player of the Year, chipped in with 13 points. Diego Bernard nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

The Bearcats made 50 percent of their shots (13-26) in the second half.

Jaizec Lottie, a consensus All-American, led the Saints with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. Jalen Barr added eight points and eight rebounds. Fiddler contributed eight points.

The Saints were held to 28.1 percent shooting from the floor in the second half.


  
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