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Richard Clifton

Men's Basketball Kyle Taylor - Langston Athletic Communications

National Tournament Preview: LU Lions vs Oklahoma Wesleyan

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Langston University men's basketball continues their quest for the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship today, March 20 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Here's a quick preview and rundown of information for Lions fans to answer the most frequently asked questions leading up to the game.

The Matchup

The No. 4 seed Langston Lions (26-7) advanced to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament Round of 16 after defeating No. 12 seed Eastern Oregon 86-59 on March 14th in the NAIA National Tournament Second Round. The Lions are set to face No. 1 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan (30-3) at 5 p.m. today, March 20, inside the historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

About the Eagles

Oklahoma Wesleyan enters the Round of 16 matchup at 30-3 after knocking off No. 8 seed Montana Tech on March 14 in Bartlesville, Okla. The Eagles are based out of Bartlesville, Okla. and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament as an automatic bid after winning the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Regular Season championship.

Offensively, OKWU is led by Temaje Izuagbe (6-6, Forward), who is averaging 17.8 points per game and was selected All-KCAC First Team. Yashi McKenize (6-1, Guard) and Nick Bene (6-5, Forward) are right behind with 9.8 points per game and 9.2 points per game respectively. McKenzie and Bene were named All-KCAC Honorable Mention in addition to Ethan Williams (6-4, Guard) who picked All-KCAC Second Team honors.

The Eagles are coached by Donnie Bostwick, who is in his second stint leading the OKWU Eagles, he served as head coach from 2007-2010 before taking over at Southwestern Assemblies of God from 2011-2016 and returning to OKWU in 2017.

About the Lions

Langston (Okla.) enters the Round of 16 matchup at 27-6 overall after defeating No. 12 seed Eastern Oregon 86-59 on March 14 in Langston, Okla. Langston qualified for the NAIA National Tournament as an At-Large big and is making their fourth straight tournament appearance under head coach Chris Wright.

Offensively, Langston boats three players averaging double figures in Orlando Thomas (15.5 ppg), Antonio Lewis (12.2 ppg) and Trey Clarke (11.6 ppg). Omar Henry is right behind them at 9.9 points per game. Thomas was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and SAC All-Conference First Team, Henry was selected to the SAC All-Conference Third Team and Clarke was named to the SAC All-Conference Honorable Mention team.

The Lions are led by Chris Wright who is in his fourth year as head coach. Wright, his four years at the helm, holds a mark at Langston University and has led the Lions to four straight Round of 16 appearances.

Q: What time is the game?

The No. 4 seed Langston Lions (26-7) tip-off on Friday, March 20 at 5 p.m. CT against No. 1 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan.

Q: Where is the NAIA National Tournament being held? How much are tickets?

The 88th annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship takes place in Kansas City, Mo. at the historic Municipal Auditorium.

Tickets for the men's tournament are $25 per day for adults, NAIA students with NAIA student ID are $12 per day (available at box office only), high school students with student ID are $10 per day (available at box office only), student (ages 5-12) are $6 per day and kids (ages 4 and under) are free.

Tickets are available at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office or at Ticketmaster.com. For additional ticketing information click here.

Q: I will not be able to attend the game, how can I stay updated?

The NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament will be streamed LIVE and for FREE on the Urban Edge Network at urbanedgenetwork.net. Live statistics are available at the link here and as always follow us on X (@langstonsports), Instagram (@langstonsports) and Facebook (@langstonsports) for the latest updates.
 
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Players Mentioned

Orlando Thomas

#0 Orlando Thomas

G
6' 2"
Senior
Antonio Lewis

#3 Antonio Lewis

G
6' 2"
Senior
Omar Henry

#23 Omar Henry

F
6' 7"
Junior
Trey Clarke

#11 Trey Clarke

G/F
6' 6"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Orlando Thomas

#0 Orlando Thomas

6' 2"
Senior
G
Antonio Lewis

#3 Antonio Lewis

6' 2"
Senior
G
Omar Henry

#23 Omar Henry

6' 7"
Junior
F
Trey Clarke

#11 Trey Clarke

6' 6"
Junior
G/F

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