KANSAS CITY, MO – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria men's basketball team takes on four-seeded Bethel University (Ind.) in the NAIA National Championship Round of 16.
GAME INFORMATION
Friday, March 21
5:00 PM
vs Bethel (Ind.)
Municipal Auditorium
Kansas City, MO
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"Bethel is a good basketball team," LSUA Head Coach Dimario Jackson said. "They're disciplined, have good size. They have some guys who can make an open shot. We have to be ready to defend for 40 minutes. Our execution has to be there on both ends of the floor. Our guys are locked in and focused on the task at hand."
The one-seeded Generals (30-2) recorded victories over 16-seeded Stillman College and eight-seeded Nelson University (TX).
Kashie Natt recorded 51 points across two games with 22 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 25 Watch List.
LSUA took an early lead against Stillman but, with just five minutes to play in regulation, the game was tied 69-69. Back-to-back threes from
Jordan Decuir and
Jason Perry II swung momentum back to the Generals. In the final 3:35, LSUA outscored Stillman 11-4.
Against Nelson, the Generals went on an early 7-0 run and never looked back. The Lions pulled within five in the second half but another run from the Generals, this time a 6-0 period, doubled their lead to 12.
The 16 teams converging on Kansas City combined for a win percentage of 83.4% and have a record of 432-86. It is the first time the Generals have been to Kansas City since 2018-19 when the entire NAIA National Championship Field was brought to Kansas City.
LSUA's Round of 16 draw is a rematch from last season's First Round. The Generals traveled to Olathe, Kansas and fell 85-67 to Bethel (Ind.).
SCOUTING BETHEL (IND.)
The Pilots are 24-8 on the season. They advanced to the NAIA Round of 16 with wins over Peru State College and Morningside University.
Bethel averages 81.1 points per game and allows 74.1. As a unit they are shooting 48.1% from the field and 35% from long range. They have a quartet of players averaging double-digit scoring efforts. Trent Edwards leads the group, averaging 12.7 points. He is shooting 51.7% from the field. Edwards also leads the group with 154 assists. Luke McBride (12.6), Alonas Peciulis (12.2), and Preston Phillips (10.6) round out the group. McBride has taken 355 shots on the year with 212 coming from beyond the three-point line.
Phillips leads the Pilots in rebounding, hauling in 6.1 rebounds per game. The Pilots are out rebounding their opponents 37.9 to 30.7 on the season. Edwards leads Bethel with 17 blocks. Jameir Jefferson has a team-high 33 steals.
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For the latest on men's basketball, visit LSUAGenerals.com or follow the team's social media accounts: @LSUA_mBB (X) or @LSUA_mbb (IG and Threads).
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