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Posted by
Corey Westra
-
Thu, Mar 12, 2009
- [
Men's Basketball
] - Viewed 377 times
 Eddie Marrs Leads Mustangs in NAIA Opening Win
#12 Morningside (Iowa) made just enough free throws down the stretch and defeated Saint Thomas (Fla.) 62-60 in the opening round of the 2009 NAIA D-II men's basketball national championships. The 18th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
An epic defensive battle, the teams combined for 54 turnovers and 49 personal fouls. Both teams forced each other into poor shooting as Morningside shot 36% from the field while Saint Thomas managed 28% from the floor.
The Mustangs opened up its biggest lead midway through the first half (27-15) before a furious St. Thomas rally cut down the lead to just one, 30-29, at halftime. Morningside pushed the lead up to six on several occasions in the second half but could not put the Bobcats away. Trailing 45-39, Saint Thomas rallied and scored five straight points and trailed by one with seven minutes left. The Mustangs were able to hold the lead, however, until a three-pointer by Tracy Razz tied the game at 60 with under one minute left. Morningside responded with free throws and enough defensive stops down the stretch to earn the win. Both Nick Thompson and Eddie Marrs made 1-of-2 free throws in the final seconds to seal it for the Mustangs. Morningside totaled three players in double figures, led by Eddie Marrs with 17. The junior guard grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists. The inside tandem of Nick Thompson and Seth Atkins scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, and both players ripped down eight boards.
Junior guard Antonio Jones led the Bobcats with a game-high 32 points on 6-of-24 from the field. Jones converted 17 of his 19 free throw attempts and came into the tournament fourth in the nation averaging 24 points per game. Cesar Chavez was the only other Saint Thomas player in double figures with 17 points. He also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. The Bobcats, who entered the championship on a five-game win streak and won the Sun Conference tournament to qualify, closes the season with a 20-11 record. Morningside, who improves to 24-7, advances to the second round of the tournament where they will face either #5 Black Hills State (S.D.) for Cal State-Eastbay on Friday at noon. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 17, 2009.
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