Men's Basketball | 3/25/2016 1:29:00 AM
Box Score FRISCO, Texas – The No. 5-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team came up one basket short of advancing to their second NCAA Division II national championship game in three years here Thursday as No. 1 Lincoln Memorial escaped with a 103-102 victory in an Elite Eight semifinal thriller at Dr. Pepper Arena.
It was a Final Four game worthy of the name as the nation's two highest scoring teams put their full arsenal on display. The Hilltoppers (31-4) and the Railsplitters (34-2) battled through 11 ties and 19 lead changes in a nail-biter that wasn't decided until David Dennis' desperation 30-foot heave skimmed off the rim at the buzzer. "It was a great basketball game," WLU head coach Jim Crutchfield said. "I thought my guys played really well tonight but Lincoln Memorial played well, too. I appreciate the fact that my guys played well but what I appreciate even more is the fact that they played as hard as they could for 40 minutes. That's really been our M.O. this season so, yes, it was a tough loss and I would have loved to see us play in the national finals but I'm really proud of my team." Railsplitter head coach Josh Schertz echoed Crutchfield's comments.
"I've been doing this for 18 years," Schertz said, "and I've never been a part of a game that good. That was two great teams just competing their brains out. We have an unbelievable amount of respect for West Liberty, their players, their program and Coach Crutchfield. What an incredible group of competitors."
National Player of the Year Seger Bonifant closed out his record-setting Hilltopper career in record-setting style with a career-high 44 points while Dennis, the MEC Freshman of the Year, also set a career high with 26 points as they combined for 43 of West Liberty's 49 second-half points. Bonifant's 44 points were the most points scored in an NCAA Division II semifinal game in 45 years and the third-highest total in Elite Eight history.
"I told our guys before the game that Bonifant was the best player I've ever seen at this level and we were able to hold him to what, 44 points?" Schertz said with a wry smile "He was incredible. It was an amazing game. I just felt fortunate to be a small part of it."
Lincoln Memorial didn't lack for weapons in the heavyweight slugfest. Although LMU had five players finish in double figures, it was Gerel Simmons who led the way with 35 points and was the difference-maker down the stretch.
The 6-2 senior hit a huge 3-pointer to put LMU up, 96-95, with just 2:03 remaining – the Railsplitters' first lead since the 7-minute mark. Bonifant hit two free throws – he was a career-best 12-for-12 from the charity stripe on the night – for a 97-96 West Liberty edge with 1:36 to go but Simmons put his team back on top with a drive to the rack at 1:24.
After a crucial turnover gave the ball back to Lincoln Memorial, Simmons drained a dagger of a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left for a 101-97 lead.
The Hilltoppers weren't finished yet. Senior Mike Lamberti answered with a quick 3-pointer in transition and WLU got the ball back, trailing 101-100, after LMU's Emanuel Terry missed both ends of a 2-shot foul with 27 seconds to play. The Black and Gold had to foul after failing to score on its next two possessions but Lincoln Memorial made just 2-of-4 free throws to keep it a one-possession game, 103-100, with 6 seconds to go.
"We'd seen enough of Bonifant shooting," Schertz said. "We weren't going to give them a chance to tie it with a 'three.' "
Dennis was fouled in the backcourt with 4 seconds left and swished both charity tosses to make it 103-102.
"I thought David played a great game tonight," Crutchfield said. "He was able to get to the rim and finish several times in crucial situations, especially in the second half."
West Liberty fouled Terry again and the LMU center once more went 0-for-2 from the line. Dennis was able to get across midcourt before launching the last shot but the ball sailed just long off the back of the rim as the horn sounded.
Bonifant had four rebounds, three assists and a steal to go along with his 44 points while Dennis stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, five assists and a steal.
"Like coach said, it hurts," Bonifant said, "but it would have hurt a lot more if we had lost and not played well. I couldn't be prouder of my teammates, our coaching staff and our fans. We have to have the best fans in the nation. We really appreciate so many of them spending the money and taking the time out of their own lives to come down here and support us. I'm proud to be a Hilltopper and I will be for the rest of my life."
Devin Hoehn helped WLU survive a sizzling start by Lincoln Memorial, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half, while Lamberti closed out his career with 10 points and five rebounds. Zac Grossenbacher finished with six points, a game-high 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. "It was a great game to be a part of," Lamberti said. "I thought for the most part we played really good defense but they made some really tough contested shots in the first half and never cooled off. We went back and forth all night and just came up a little short at the end."
Simmons had seven assists to go along with his 35 points for the Railsplitters while Pinson finished with 17 points and 10 assists. Jalen Steele added 19 points with five 3-pointers despite missing several minutes in the second half with a leg injury. Despite his foul shooting woes, Terry was a force in the paint with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.
The No. 1-ranked Railsplitters will play for their first-ever national championship on Saturday against No. 2 Augustana, S.D. (33-2). The Vikings cruised past No. 3 Western Oregon, 74-55, in Thursday's late semifinal.
TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK
X The Hilltoppers clinched their ninth NCAA Division II scoring title in the past 11 years with an average of 98.4 ppg. Lincoln Memorial is No. 2 at 96.7 ppg.
X Despite Thursday's Final Four loss, West Liberty's 24-8 (.750) record in NCAA Tournament play remains the highest winning percentage among all current NCAA Division II schools
X Bonifant finished his career with the highest 3-point field goal percentage (374-of-712, .525) in the history of NCAA men's basketball
X Bonifant was named NCAA Division II Player of the Year for the second consecutive season by Basketball Times magazine on Thursday
X His 893 points are a West Liberty single-season record while his 2,289 career points are the most ever by a WLU cager
X Bonifant reached double-figures in every game this season and tallied 20 or more points in 28 of West Liberty's 35 games
X Dennis set West Liberty freshman records this season with 204 assists and 69 steals. The 204 assists are the third-highest single-season total in school history