EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Point Loma men's basketball team is advancing to the Final Four of NCAA Division II for the first time in program history after an 87-74 victory over No. 3 seeded Queens University.
 
Preston Beverly and Daulton Hommes each scored 22 points to lead the No. 6 seeded Sea Lions.
 
With the game tied at 14 in the first half, Point Loma went on a 13-0 run by holding Queens scoreless for five minutes. The Sea Lions led for the rest of the game. Point Loma led 40-29 at halftime. Hommes had a team-high 10 points, while Beverly had seven points and four rebounds.
 
Queens pulled back within two points in the second half, but Point Loma went on another run. Twice Beverly poked the ball loose right into the hands of Josh Rodriguez and the senior forward had another steal at the top of the key.
 
One of the highlights of the game for Point Loma was when Hommes used a fake pass to get wide open on the wing for his third 3-pointer of the game. On the next possession, Beverly fed Hommes the ball in transition for a crowd-pleasing dunk. Hommes hustled back on defense and got a block in the key on the other end.
 
Later in the second half, Beverly scored lay-ups on second opportunities in back-to-back possessions. The offense boards were a key part of the Sea Lions' success all night. Then with two minutes left, Brock Mackenzie hit a 3-pointer on the right side of the arc to seal the victory for Point Loma.
 
The No. 6 seeded Sea Lions advance to face No. 7 seed Southern Indiana at 6:30 p.m. (PST) on Thursday night.
 
Team Records
#6 Point Loma (30-4), #3 Queens (31-5)
 
Turning point
Point Loma was watching its 11-point halftime lead slip away to just two points (57-55) with 9:49 left in the game after the Lions went on a 9-2 run. On the next possession, no one came out to guard Preston Beverly in the midrange and he banked a one-handed shot off the backboard to end Queens' run. His shot then fueled a 12-4 run by PLNU, which had a 3-pointer and the hammer dunk by Hommes, along with a layup from Ziggy Satterthwaite, before Tanner Nelson capped it all off with his third 3-pointer of the game. PLNU would push its lead into double figures two minutes later, and Queens would never get closer than nine points the rest of the game.
 
Words from coach Looney and the student-athletes


News and Notes
> This is just the second 30-win season in PLNU history
> The school record for wins in a season is 31 (1952-53)
> Point Loma is now 12-0 in games that it wins the turnover battle (10/12)
> The Sea Lions held Queens to 21 points below their season average (95.0 ppg)
> Hommes scored in double figures in all 33 games this season, including eclipsing the 20-point plateau 18 times
> PLNU is 26-1 this season when holding their opponents to 75 points or less
> This is the West Region's first win at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight since Western Oregon defeated Saginaw Valley State in 2016-17 (WOU lost in the Final Four).

Up Next
The Sea Lions will face No. 7 seed, and host, the University of Southern Indiana, in the Final Four on Thursday, Mar. 28 at 6:30 p.m. (PST)