ALLIANCE, Ohio — For the first time in three years, Mount Union's men's basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16.
The third-ranked Purple Raiders blew past Lancaster Bible College 90-66 Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. It's the third time in history they have made it out of the tourney's first weekend, and they did it in front of their home fans at Timken Gymnasium.
OAC Player of the Year Christian Parker was rock steady, leading Mount (27-2) with 22 points along with seven rebounds. Jeffrey Mansfield added 17 points and eight boards, while Collen Gurley had 16 and 10. Other starters Darrell Newsom and Braedon Poole each scored 12.
Jordan Shewbridge had a game-high 29 points, but the rest of the Chargers (21-8) shot just 30% from the field. The turning point came early in the first half, when Mount Union went on a 13-0 run after falling behind 6-0. The Raiders later went on another 22-6 spurt to take control of the game.
Mount Union will now face North Park (24-5) next week in the Sweet 16, and could potentially be in line to once again host the next two rounds in Alliance. The Purple Raiders have never been to the Elite Eight, with their most recent chance in 2020 being taken from them when COVID-19 led to the tournament being canceled after the first two rounds.
Elsewhere, two other Northeast Ohio teams saw their seasons come to an end. Case Western Reserve lost at home to Wisconsin-Whitewater 78-75 after Mitch Prendergast missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds, and John Carroll was vanquished on the road 66-61 by fellow top 10 opponent Oswego State.
