ALEXANDRIA, LA – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria men's basketball team enters the NAIA National Championship Frist and Second Round as a five-seed and heads to Langston, Oklahoma to face 12-seed Eastern Oregon University in the First Round.
GAME INFORMATION
Friday, March 13
7:00 PM
vs #12 Eastern Oregon University
NAIA Championship First Round
Langston, Okla.
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THE #5 GENERALS
LSUA finished second in the Red River Athletic Conference after going 18-4 during conference play. The Generals are 23-8 overall on the season. They enter the NAIA National Championship as a five-seed.
EJ McQuillan earned First Team All-RRAC honors after leading the Generals, and the RRAC, in scoring. He averaged 20.5 points per game and recorded a team-high 74 assists. McQuillan knocked down 40% of his shots on the season, including 38.6% from long range. He recorded a free throw percentage of 82.9.
Jordan Decuir also averaged a double-digit scoring effort for LSUA. He recorded 15.1 points per game and shot 42.1% from the field.
TJ James led the Generals in rebounding, hauling in 240 boards – averaging 8.0 per game.
The Generals advanced to the NAIA Round of Eight last season.
SCOUTING #12 EASTERN OREGON
The Mountaineers enter the NAIA National Championship with a record of 21-8. They finished 16-4 in Cascade play. EOU lost to Corban University in the CCC Quarterfinal game, 78-70.
Eamon Monahan leads the Mountaineers' offense, averaging 17.0 points per game. He is shooting 53.0% from the field. James Bodily has come off the bench to average 14.0 points per game and knock down 49.3% of his shots. He is also shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc. Trent Rogers (11.9) and Keilan Tokornoo (11.0) are also averaging 10 or more points per game. The Mountaineers average 84.79 points per game and allow just 72.66.
Torkornoo (6.3) and Porter Abrams (6.0) lead EOU's rebounding efforts. The Mountaineers hold a +4.6 margin over their opponents in rebounding, 37.6 to 33.0.
LSUA and Eastern Oregon have never played each other. The Mountaineers secured an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championship. It is EOU's first trip to the NAIA National Championship since 2022-23. The Mountaineers were eliminated in the first round by Thomas More University.
SCOUTING #4 LANGSTON
The Lions are 24-7 on the season and are the host institution for the NAIA National Championship First and Second Rod pod in the Duer Quadrant.
Langston averages 72.7 points per game and holds their opponents to 59.7. They are shooting 45.1% from the floor and 35.7% from deep. Leading the Lions in scoring is Orlando Thomas at 15.1 points per game. Antonio Lewis (12.7) and Trey Clarke (11.8) round out the top three. Clarke has knocked down 48.2% of his shots on the season. Thomas is shooting 42.1% from the field and 41.4% from long range. Lew is also shooting above 40% from beyond the arc, knocking down 42.3% of his chances.
Clarke (5.6) and Omar Henry (5.2) lead the Lions in rebounding. Langston holds a 35.5 to 28.8 rebounding advantage of their opponents.
The Lions fell in the SAC Tournament final, 74-67, to Oklahoma City University.
Last season, Langston won the SAC Tournament and reached the Round of 16 in the NAIA National Championship before falling to The College of Idaho, 95-65. In 2023-24, the Lions reached the NAIA National Championship game, falling to Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), 81-67.
The Lions have made an appearance in the NAIA National Championship for the last four seasons.
LSUA is 10-2 all-time against the Lions. Eight of those games came when Langston was a member of the RRAC. The two have not met since the 2017-18 season.
SCOUTING #13 BETHEL (TENN.)
Bethel enters the NAIA National Championship with a record of 19-12 overall.
The Wildcats average 78.8 points per game and allow 77.5. They are shooting 42.4% from the field as a team and 31.3% from long range. Chauncey Hughes III leads the Wildcats' offense, averaging 16.5 points per game. David Starr (13.1) and Ethan Turner (10.2) round out the top three scorers for the Wildcats. Turner is the Wildcats leading rebounder, hauling down 6.6 rebounds per game.
LSUA met Bethel early in the regular season. The Wildcats recorded a 90-83 win over the Generals. Hughes recorded 27 points, while Starr scored 16. Jackson Hayes also finished in double digits with 12.
Bethel advanced to the Mid-South Conference Championship by knocking out Georgetown (Ky.) and Cumberlands (Ky.). It is the first time since 2019 the Wildcats have made an appearance at the NAIA National Championship. They are 2-3 all-time in NAIA National Championship games.
