No. 4 WVU Tech edges No. 25 IU Kokomo for RSC Men's Basketball Championship
No. 4 WVU Tech edges No. 25 IU Kokomo for RSC Men's Basketball Championship
By WVU Tech Sports Information
BECKLEY, W.Va. (BRACKET I BOX SCORE) -- No. 4-ranked WVU Tech men's basketball battled all the way to the end against No. 25 Indiana University Kokomo before claiming the River States Conference Championship with a score of 85-83.
The Golden Bears move onto the NAIA Division II National Championship in Sioux Falls, S.D., with a record of 29-4 while the Cougars hold a record of 25-7. IU Kokomo will advance to the national tournament as well.
With nine seconds to play, IU Kokomo had an 83-82 lead before senior Elisha Boone drove the length of the floor to pour in a layup from the lane, giving WVU Tech the one point advantage with three seconds left. Boone was fouled on the play and dropped in the and-1 then the Golden Bears' defense had a huge stop to help secure WVU Tech's victory.
Boone recorded a game-high 32 points while grabbing eight boards. He also posted seven assists and two steals.
Fellow senior Brandon Shingles finished 4-for-7 from three-point range towards 12 points. Shingles also marked three assists and a rebound.
Sophomore Tamon Scruggs had 11 points and four rebounds for the Gold and Blue. Senior Tommy Collins posted nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore Will Fox poured in eight points to go with two rebounds and two steals. Fellow classmate Junior Arrey dished five assists and had four points, three rebounds and a steal.
As a team, WVU Tech shot 47.9 percent (35-for-73) from the field while IU Kokomo finished at 52.6 percent (30-for-57). The Golden Bears did hold a slight advantage under the boards, 36-33.
For IU Kokomo, Trequan Spivey had a big game of 30 points on 11 for 17 from the floor. Akil McClain had 16 points, and Antoin Clifton added 13. The Cougars shot 53 percent on the night.
McDonald's (2930 Robert C. Byrd Drive, Beckley) will host both the women's and men's basketball squads for the Golden Bear Athletics National Basketball Championship Send-off tomorrow, Wednesday (February 27).
Golden Bear Basketball teams will be working the kiosks in a friendly competition to see who can process the most orders from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The team who wins the competition will receive a generous donation from Tim and Myra Harper.
Following the competition, both teams and members of the community will watch the National Championship brackets be revealed. Men's bracket will be revealed at 6 p.m. and women's will be at 7 p.m. Come out and share support to the Golden Bears as they leave for the national tournament.