Box Score Kansas City, MO –

The 7^th seeded Men's Basketball team was up for yet another challenge heading into the Sweet 16 of the NAIA National Tournament with a highly competitive match-up against the 3 seeded Baker University Wildcats. With both teams winning their respective opening rounds, the final site match-up would give way to an Elite 8 opportunity.

From the tip, the Eagles and Wildcats were both quick to the punch on the scoreboard. With the Wildcats finding their way up the floor at a faster pace than the Eagles, they took an early 11-5 lead within the first 6 minutes of play. A 37.9 shooting percentage under the Wildcats 41.9% had the Eagles trailing a majority of the first half. Closing the first, the Eagles were down 37-32 to the Wildcats and looked for a solid reset in order to come out firing in the second.

Finding drive in the locker room, the Eagles were explosive in the second half, having their best 20 minutes of play with 45 points out of the locker room. Maintaining strong possessions and taking competitive shots, the Eagles took the lead with 12 minutes left of play and never looked back. The Eagles were led by Jaden Lietzke as he accumulated 16 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Along side Lietzke, DJ Talton Jr. (14) and Nick Bene (10) combined for 22 points to contribute to the all-around team win.

The Eagles took home the win over the Wildcats 77-65 for an upset victory on the biggest stage. The Eagles are back in action tomorrow night as they look to face the 1 seeded LSU Alexandria Generals for an Elite 8 match-up in Kansas City, Missouri for a 7PM tip-off!