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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No. 25 (NABC Division II Top 25) Flagler College men's basketball team earned an at-large berth and received the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional, which will be held March 12, 13 and 15 at Christenberry Fieldhouse on the campus of Augusta (Ga.) University. The winners of the eight regionals will advance to the national finals March 22, 24 and 26 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
Flagler (23-7) opens play in the tournament against former Peach Belt Conference rival, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (26-3). UNCP leads the all-time series 20-3, but Flagler snapped a 12-game losing streak with an 87-80 overtime win on the road on Jan. 20, 2021. Jaizec Lottie scored a game-high 31 points while Chris Metzger added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Flagler. Jalen Barr added 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. The Braves took an 80-79 lead in overtime, but they missed their last five shots from the field while the Saints made all six of their free throw attempts. Trenton McIntyre led four UNCP players in double figures with 16 points.
The Saints are coming off a tough 82-71 loss to No. 10 Augusta in the championship game of the PBC Tournament last Saturday. Jaizec Lottie and Derrick Ellis, Jr. were selected to the all-tournament team. Lottie took home his second PBC Player of the Year honor and he has joined by Jalen Barr (third-team) on the all-conference teams. Lottie is averaging 22.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. His 51 three-pointers, 151 free throws made, and 47 steals also lead the club. Barr leads the team in rebounding with a 7.8 per game average and blocked shots with 38.
UNC Pembroke dominated Conference Carolinas in its first year of membership. The Braves went 22-2 in league play, but lost the conference championship game to Belmont Abbey College, 79-73, on Sunday. Leading the Braves is the league's player and defensive player of the year, Spencer Levi. He is averaging 16.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Levi has blocked 57 shots this season and is shooting an efficient 71.8 percent from the field. Joining Levi on the first-team was Jordan Ratliffe. He is averaging 14.8 points and 1.8 steals per game. Drew Richards was tabbed as the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
Game times will be released later but the schedule is listed below:
Southeast Regional
Hosted by Augusta University, Augusta, Ga. -- March 12, 13, and 15
No. 1 Augusta University (28-3) vs. No. 8 Belmont Abbey College (22-9)
No. 2 Queens University of Charlotte (28-3) vs. No. 7 Columbus State University (20-10)
No. 3 Lincoln Memorial University (25-4) vs. No. 6 Georgia College (21-7)
No. 4 UNC Pembroke (26-3) vs. No. 5 Flagler College (23-7)
Flagler's history in the NCAA regional
2021 (at Valdosta, Ga.) – played in the South Regional due to the pandemic
def. West Georgia, 69-53
def. Alabama-Huntsville, 89-75
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