Box Score

WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Point Loma went on a 13-0 run at the end of the first half and carried that momentum through the final 20 minutes to dominate Southern Nazarene, 68-54, in the NCCAA semifinals on Thursday, Mar. 20.

With the victory the Sea Lions (19-11) advance to the NCCAA Championship game on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (PST) where it will face tournament host, No. 7 seed Grace College (26-10). The loss dropped SNU to 17-13 on the season.

Point Loma trailed by as many as eight points in the first half but seized control of the game in the final seven minutes of the first half. After SNU made a jumper to extend their lead to 25-22, the Sea Lions made their charge. They scored the next 13 points to erase the three-point deficit and take a 37-27 lead into the locker room.

In the second half PLNU came right out and extended their lead to 14 points by scoring seven of the first 10 points of the half. The Sea Lions would go up as many as 22 points in the second half on Judd Welfringer's deep 3-pointer with 9:28 remaining. SNU would keep fighting but never got the lead below the 14-point final margin of victory (68-54).

Marek Klassen led the Sea Lions with 14 points but it was a collective team effort offensively which earned them a trip to the championship game.  Hayden Lescault and Welfringer added 11 points apiece, while AJ Ussery chipped in with 10. Eight different players got in the scoring column for PLNU.

The Sea Lions shot 50 percent in the game, including going 9-of-19 from behind the arc. The Sea Lions' bench also outscored The Crimson Storm's 15-5.

SNU's Quan Conner led all scorers with 18 points.

PLNU is in search of its first NCCAA men's basketball championship since 1986-87. In that season the Sea Lions defeated Eastern College in the title game to win its third straight NCCAA Men's Basketball Championship.