KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Westminster men's basketball team will face Azusa Pacific on Friday, March 19 at 1:15 p.m. MDT in the second round of the 2010 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championships. No. 4 seed Westminster will face No. 13 seed Azusa Pacific for the fifth time in school history, but the first at the national tournament.
Westminster advanced to the second round with am 80-74 win over Evangel on Thursday afternoon. Westminster used a 7-0 run late in the second half to break a 61-61 tie and carry them to victory. This is the second consecutive season that Westminster has advanced past the opening round and just the third time in 11 trips to the tournament. Last season, Westminster defeated the University of the Cumberlands 67-62 in the second round.
Azusa Pacific made the second round after a 72-68 win against that same Cumberlands team. Azusa got a lay-up from Reggie Owens with 2.8 seconds left in regulation to put them ahead for the final time in the game. They enter the game at 25-9 on the season and are fifth nationally with 253 made three-pointers.
AGAINST AZUSA PACIFIC
Westminster is 3-1 all-time against Azusa Pacific. The last meeting was an 83-69 Griffin victory in the Behnken Field House on November 8, 2008. The lone Azusa victory in the series happened on November 13, 2006 when they handed the Griffins a 69-55 defeat. This is the first meeting between the two teams at the NAIA National Championships.
Live Video Streaming
The game will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV. Four different subscription plans for basketball will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball championships for $39.95. Each of the four basketball championships can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. Fans can find links to the video streaming at westminstergriffins.com.
Live Stats
Live Stats of the National Championships will be available for all 31 games. This is a free service.
