SLCC advances to NJCAA title tilt

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In a game filled with one big run after another, D.J. Wright ignited the most crucial spurt of all.

Wright scored three straight baskets to fuel a decisive 12-0 run that propelled Salt Lake Community College to a 78-73 upset victory over No. 1-ranked Chipola College in the NJCAA semifinals on Friday evening.

It was part of the freshman's stellar overall performance. Wright finished with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 14 rebounds, paving the way for the Bruins to reach the NJCAA championship game for a second consecutive season.

Nate Bendall scored 20 points and Dathan Lyles added 16 for SLCC (30-6).

Early on, it looked like the Bruins would break the game wide open. After falling behind 7-0, SLCC went on an 18-4 run -— capped off by consecutive 3-pointers from Wright and Lyles — to make it 18-11.

The Bruins eventually extended their lead to 11, going up 29-18 on a basket from Bendall.

But the Indians rallied and outscored SLCC 18-4 over the final five minutes of the first half. Casey Mitchell, who scored a game-high 38 points, capped the run with a 3-pointer a second before the buzzer to give Chipola a 36-33 lead.

The Indians staked out a 41-37 lead early in the second half, only to see the Bruins rip off a 15-3 run and take a 52-44 lead on a basket from Bendall with 11:46 left. SLCC still held a 57-51 advantage when Chipola answered with a 16-5 run -- taking a 67-62 lead on Torye Pelham's basket with 4:48 remaining.

That proved to be the last gasp for the nation's top-ranked junior college team. The Bruins went ahead on three straight baskets by Wright and by the time he added a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left, SLCC had an insurmountable 74-67 advantage.

The Bruins will face the winner of Connors State and Midland College to decide the NJCAA title this evening. Tip time is at 7:00 p.m. at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

Westminster men

At Kansas City, Mo., for 40 minutes, the University of the Cumberlands could do little to prevent Westminster's forwards from dictating how everything unfolded around the basket.

Geoff Payne scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting and Danny Stosich added 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting off the bench to lead the Griffins to a 67-62 victory over the Patriots at Municipal Auditorium in second round action of the NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon.

Westminster (30-4) has reached the NAIA quarterfinals for the first time in school history and the Griffins did it by outworking Cumberlands (27-7) close to the basket.