The Morningside College Mustangs (28-7) worked hard to corral Huntington University’s work horse Alex Kock, but the Foresters’ supporting cast stepped up to fill the gap as Huntington (31-5) overcame a five-point halftime deficit to get the 82-70 win and secure the final spot in the semifinals.

For the first time in the tournament, the Foresters found themselves in some unfamiliar territory trailing Morningside much of the first half.  The Mustangs used a zone defense to keep HU from getting into any rhythm on the offensive end and forced the Foresters to run their offense from the outside where they were a meager 4-13 (31%) from behind the arc.  On the other hand, Morningside seemed to be living by the three knocking down seven long balls to account for more than half of their 13 total field goals in the half.  The Mustang’s zone also was effective in keeping Kock from getting many good looks as he finished the half 3-6 from the field for eight points.  After shooting just 39% (11-28) from the field in the first half, HU headed to the locker room down 35-29.

Things didn’t start much better for HU in the second half.  After Morningside’s Tim Johnson completed an old-fashioned 3-point play, the Mustangs hit three consecutive treys to push their lead to nine.  A Doug Sheckler jumper following an HU timeout cut it to 48-41, but Morningside converted two more field goals to take its largest lead of the game at 52-41 with just under 15 minutes to play.  But then the Foresters’ supporting cast took the stage.  Jared Yoder stopped the bleeding with a short jumper, which ignited a 24-9 HU run over the next eight minutes of play.  Freshman Kyle Benge scored 10 of his 19 points during the run, Yoder added another deuce, Sheckler hit a jumper, Verba connected on two free throws and Ganton hit a baseline runner to put the Foresters in front 65-61 with 6:36 on the clock.

Morningside’s Trevor Lally sank a jumper in the lane to cut it to 65-63, but seven unanswered points capped by a Sheckler three gave the Foresters a commanding 72-63 lead with 2:20 to play.  Brad Schmit missed a 3-point attempt on the Mustang’s next possession and the fouling began.  HU hit 8-9 charity tosses in the final minute and a half of play to earn the coveted Final Four berth. 

Ganton led four Foresters in double figures with 20 points.  Benge finished with 19 off the bench, Sheckler added 17 and Kock supplied a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.  Schmit topped all scorers in the game with 21 points, which included six treys.  Johnson chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds for the Mustangs.  The Foresters rebounded from their poor shooting performance in the first half to shoot 68% (19-28) in the second and finished the game at 54%. 

For a complete box score, see Box Score.

The Tournament continues at 6:00 p.m. (CST) on Monday, March 13, as the HU Foresters square off against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (25-10) in the semifinals. The game will be broadcast live from Branson by Huntington University Radio WQHU 105.5 FM

The MidAmerica Pioneers will play the role of Cinderella as the only unseeded team to earn a berth in the Final Four. The second semifinal at 8:00 p.m. has the 4^th-seeded Bobcats of the host College of the Ozarks (27-6) facing the 8^th-seeded Lindenwood University Lions (26-9)

This marks HU’s second trip to the Final Four, their first coming back in 2000 in their first appearance in the National Tournament.  The Foresters were upset 83-81 in overtime in their semifinal game by the College of the Ozarks.