IU Southeast wins 2006 KIAC Men's Basketball Championship

2/26/2006 12:00:00 AM

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (February 25, 2006) No. 1 Indiana University Southeast defeated No. 2 Spalding University 65-62 in the men's basketball championship game on Saturday night as the 2006 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) Championships came to a conclusion at Indiana University Southeast.

The men's championship game started out slow with neither Indiana University Southeast nor Spalding University scoring a basket until the 16:18 mark in the first half on a two point jumper scored by the Grenadier's Nick Guilinger. From that point until halftime the Grenadiers showcased a shooting clinic. Indiana University Southeast shot 53.8 percent (14 of 16) from the field and 57.1 percent (4 of 7) from behind the three-point arc.

The Grenadier's were led in the first half by Robert Daniels with eight points and two assists. Nick Guilinger also added seven points in 13 minutes of play, but it was not enough to help distance the Grenadiers from Spalding. The Pelicans of Spalding were led by Eric Johnson with nine points and three assists. Edwin O'Bannon attached six points of his own to the Spalding cause. Spalding shot 41.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent form three-point range by nailing four long range jump shots. The Grenadiers held on to their lead over the Pelicans at the half 35-34.

The second half of the contest featured fast paced transition basketball that would continue throughout the final 20 minutes of play. The game came down to the end with IU Southeast only leading Spalding University by one point with 1:40 left in the contest. A couple of timeouts and foul followed and the Grenadiers found themselves cutting down the nets with a three point victory.

IU Southeast (30-3) was led by Vashon Miller with 15 points and four rebounds. Rick Bodiford added 14 points along with an impressive 13 rebounds. The Grenadiers shot 42.7 percent in the game from the field and 38.5 percent from behind the arc. The Grenadiers scored 28 points in the paint to help lead them to the victory.

Spalding University (17-15) was led by Eric Johnson with 21 points and four rebounds. William Ford also help led the Pelicans with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Spalding University shot 36.5 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from three-point range in the contest. Spalding University also played tough defense blocking eight Grenadier shots on the night.

The No. 9-ranked Indiana University Southeast men's basketball team will represent the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with an automatic bid to the NAIA DII Men's Basketball National Tournament at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo. The national tournament will be played from March 8 through March 14. For more information on the national tournament please visit: www.naia.org.