KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Langston (Okla.) is headed back to the Fab Four for the first time since finishing as the national runner-up in 2024 after knocking off Rocky Mountain (Mont.), 60-55, in a quarterfinal game at the 88th annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Saturday night at Municipal Auditorium.
Langston (28-7) - which is making its fourth straight Final Site appearance - will face Ave Maria (Fla.) (30-4) in the Fab Four Monday night at 7:30 p.m. CT. Ave Maria punched its ticket to the Fab Four for the first time in program history with a 99-86 win over Grace (Ind.) in a quarterfinal game earlier Saturday night.
In a matchup pitting two of the nation's top three teams in scoring defense, offense was hard to come by. Langston led 25-22 at halftime and stretched its lead to 33-22 on a layup by Trey Clarke with 16:38 to go. Rocky Mountain (31-4) - which saw its 21-game winning streak come to an end with the loss - fought back to within 41-37 after a Mekhi Jourdan basket with 8:43 remaining, but the Lions responded with a run of their own to grow their lead to 54-44 with 2:13 left after a 3-pointer by Orlando Thomas and Langston seemed poised to punch their ticket to the Fab Four.
However, the Battlin' Bears weren't done yet, and Omari Nesbit made three 3-pointers in a span of 1:35 to get Rocky Mountain to within 55-53 with 25.3 seconds still to go in the game. The teams traded two free throws apiece, making it 57-55 with 12.3 seconds remaining, before Thomas stepped to the line and made a free throw with 11.1 seconds on the clock to give Langston a 58-55 advantage. Rocky Mountain had one last shot to tie the game, but its 3-point shot was off the mark, and Williams sank two more free throws to salt away the win and send the Lions into the Fab Four.
Langston got a balanced offensive attack in the victory, as five players had at least seven points for the Lions. Thomas led the way with 14 points and three steals. Jay Wilson added 12 points and four rebounds, and Antonio Lewis and Robert Alexander pitched in nine points apiece for Langston.
Nesbit was the leading scorer for Rocky Mountain with 21 points, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Royce Robinson had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocked shots, and Carter McCoy finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for the Battlin' Bears in the loss.
Langston (28-7) advances to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament Fab Four for the second time in program history and will play on Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. They will face the No. 3 seed Ave Maria (Fla.) (30-4).
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