Men's Basketball
Pilots Cruise In Tournament Opener
Game Summary
No. 2 Bethel opened up a 48-21 halftime lead and cruised to an 86-58 win over Johnson & Wales (Colo.) in the opening round of the 2009 NAIA D-II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 18th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
Bethel started the game on an 11-2 run en route to a 29-9 lead with seven minutes left in the first half. The Pilots used their suffocating defense to limit the Wildcats to just 26% from the field in the opening half.
The Pilots, one of the best shooting teams in the NAIA, shot 57% from the floor, including 62% in the second half. Bethel used its size, outscoring Johnson & Wales 48-18 in the paint and outrebounded the Wildcats 43-28. All-American William Walker, the Mid-Central College Conference player-of-the-year, registered the double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Wes Laidig netted a game-high 21 points on 9-of-12 from the floor.
Johnson & Wales was led by Michael Crespin with 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Andrew Baker was the only other player in double figures with 12. The Wildcats, who qualified as the Independent Champion, finishes the season with a 15-18 overall record. They were making their second national tournament appearance.
Bethel, with three national championships and a .846 winning percentage, advances to the second round for the seventh time in their program's history. They will face No. 15 Indiana-Southeast on Friday morning at 8:30 am. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 17, 2009.
