Kansas City, MO - Third-seeded Oklahoma Baptist scored with 3.3 seconds left in overtime put an end to the Robert Morris Men's Basketball team's quest for a berth in the national finals as the Eagles fell 81-79 in the semifinals of the 2010 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship Monday, March 22, 2010, at historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO.
It was the sixth time in seven seasons that RMU Coach Al Bruehl saw his team's season come to an end in the national semifinals, the second in overtime. In the 2007 semifinals, the Eagles lost a 124-119 quadruple-overtime game to Concordia (CA). RMU was the eighth fifteenth-seeded team to advance to the NAIA Semis and the first since 2004. Coach Bruehl is now 15-7 in the Division I national tournament.
'In the great game of basketball all you can ask is to give yourself a chance to win," said Coach Bruehl. "We had a good look to win in regulation and about as good a shot as we could ask when we had to go end-to-end with 3.3 seconds to go.'
Robert Morris led for the majority of the first half, taking its biggest lead of the period at 30-17 following a three-pointer by Yamani Ball (Aurora, IL) at the 7:08 mark. Aided by a pair of RMU miscues and a couple of rushed shots, the Bison regrouped to score twelve unanswered points, eventually grabbing their first lead at 31-30 with 2:13 left in the period.
The Eagles eventually regained a three-point lead late in the half when Jacolby Hardiman (Milwaukee, WI) found Daniel Mendoza (Chicago, IL) with a perfect feed on a back cut. Mendoza soared over the OBU back line for a thunderous dunk, then returned the favor by setting up Hardiman for a score. OBU came back with four unanswered to end the period up 36-35.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair until the Bison toughed out a five-point edge with 5:05 left in regulation. The Eagles turned up the defensive heat, grabbing a 70-68 lead on a Hardiman offensive rebound with 25.3 second left in regulation. NAIA Player of the Year, OBU's Nate Brumfield, hit two free throws with 14.2 left to tie the game.
The Eagles had two chances to win in regulation--a good look at the dotted line from Robert Jones (Fort Pierce, FL) and tip on Jones's miss by Ball--but neither went down, forcing overtime.
Oklahoma Baptist opened the overtime period on a 9-2 run to build a 79-72 lead with just under two minutes left. The Eagles stormed back by scoring the next seven points, the last two coming on a shot by Jones that tied the game at 79-all with 33.6 seconds to play. After a timeout the Bison worked the ball in the high post to Brumfield, who spun, double-pumped, and hit a turnaround floater over the Eagles' defense for what would prove to be the game-winner.
RMU had one last chance but had to go end-to-end in 3.3 seconds. Jones had an on-balance look from about 35 feet Morris the potential game-winning three-point attempt bounced off the rim.
The Eagles close out the year with a record of 22-11. Jones led the way for the Eagles with 22 points along with seven rebounds. Hardiman posted a double-double of 17 points and a team-high ten rebounds, while Ball also collected 17 points. Hardiman led the Eagles with five assists.
Billy Rush (Dolton, IL) and Robert Jones were each named All-American. Jones was also named to the All-Tournament team.
Oklahoma Baptist defeated Azusa Pacific 87-86 in the national title game, the second consecutive year that the team that eliminated RMU won the championship.
