KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The LC State Warriors are on to the quarterfinal of the 2021 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship after a solid 86-72 victory over the 14^th-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles. A barrage of 3-pointers fueled the win, led by four from Trystan Bradley. Hodges Bailey led the team in scoring in the Round of 16 with 21 points.
 
"Very proud of our guys for matching the energy and toughness of Oklahoma Wesleyan," Head Coach Austin Johnson said. "We made shots and had great ball movement, but ultimately our ability to defend and out-rebound them was the difference. I was so impressed with our focus from the jump."
 
LC State hit 13 3s and had five players in double-digits. On top of his sharp shooting, Bradley also notched a double-double with 10 boards and 14 points. The margin of victory is the largest of any Round of 16 game this year so far.
 
The Warriors utilized the 3-pointer in the first half, led by four from Bradley. The senior gave the LC State offense the momentum needed to take a 20-13 lead midway through the opening 20 minutes. A triple by Nathan Fromm gave the Warriors an 11-10 lead at the 14:25 mark, and three straight by Bradley from behind the arc made it a 20-13 game.
 
OKWU pulled within one with under four left in the half before Khalil Stevenson drained a 3 to push the lead to 31-27. He added to the advantage with a layup before Fromm netted a jumper to make it 35-29. Bradley found Hodges Bailey who connected for the team's eighth 3 of the half to close out the scoring in the opening period. LC led 40-31 at the break.
 
Bailey added to the 3-pointer total with a triple two minutes into the half. A basket by Damek Mitchell added to the advantage to force an Eagle timeout at 16:17, and Bailey dropped his third 3 of the contest before a basket by Mitchell pushed the score to 36-54.
 
Travis Yenor drained a pair of 3s as the Warrior lead continued to grow.
 
With 5:29 to play the Warriors held a 73-61 advantage over OKWU and maintained control of the game until the final buzzer.
 
Bailey led the Warriors with 21 points, while Bradley and Fromm each scored 14. Mitchell and Yenor each added 13 points. Bradley nailed four 3-pointers and Bailey and Yenor each made three. Bailey was 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Bradley grabbed 10 rebounds to make it a double-double, and Stevenson and Mitchell each dealt five assists.
 
"Every guy gave us a lift in their own way," Johnson said. "Hodges was clutch down the stretch from the free throw line and we got a major lift from Nate Fromm. He not only scored it well but was a factor in every aspect. We need to try to rest and recover as we play another big-time team in Loyola tomorrow."
 
As a team, LC State shot 44.6 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from 3. The Warriors made 23 foul shots in 28 attempts, while the defense held OKWU to 21.9 percent from 3. The Warriors outrebounded the Eagles at a 43-37 margin and held a 17-7 advantage in the assists column.
 
With the victory, LC State advances to the National Quarterfinal and will face No. 11 Loyola (La.) on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed on the NAIA Network and can also be viewed at Zany's. KOZE will carry the radio broadcast and live stats will be provided by the NAIA. All links can be found on the schedule page on lcwarriors.com.
 
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