EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Will Yoakum scored 31 points, Dallas Graziani added 24 points, nine assists and three steals, and top-ranked Nova Southeastern beat West Liberty 111-101 Saturday to win their first championship. NCAA Division II national team on the show. history.
“They’re special,” Nova Southeastern coach Jim Crutchfield said, “because they’re 36-0.”
The Sharks (36-0), who went 33-1 last season with their lone loss coming in the Elite 8, became the sixth undefeated team to win the title, joining Northwest Missouri State (38-0 in 2018). -19, the first of three straight championships), Findlay (36-0 in 2008-09), Fort Hays State (34-0 in 1995-96), Cal State Bakersfield (33-0 in 1992-93) and Evansville ( 29-0 in 1964-65).
RJ Sunahara fouled out with five minutes remaining and finished with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting for Nova Southeastern and Kobe Rodgers added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Bryce Butler led West Liberty (33-4) with 32 points and nine rebounds. Christian Montague shot 5 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 19 points, Steve Cannady and Zach Rasile each scored 11 and Chaz Hinds added 10 points.
Sunahara made a layup to open the scoring about a minute into the game, Graziani scored to make it 16-6 with 15:23 remaining in the first half and Nova Southeastern never trailed.
Entering the game leading Division II in scoring (102.5 per game), the Sharks set the record for most points by a team in an NCAA men’s or women’s championship game in any division.
Sunahara scored 20 points in the first half on 9-of-11 shooting, Yoakum made 6-of-7 from the field for 15 points and Graziani had 14 points with seven assists as the Sharks took a 55-48 lead at halftime. It was the highest scoring half in D-II championship history.
West Liberty was called for three flagrant fouls and two technical fouls. Ben Sarson was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected after elbowing Yoakum, who played four seasons for the Hilltoppers before transferring to Nova Southeastern, into an out box early in the second half. Sarson, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, started each of the 35 games he’s appeared in this season, averaging 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The Hilltoppers’ Malik McKinney fouled midway through the second half and was then assessed a technical foul and Montague was called for a technical foul with 8:15 to play.
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