Ozarks’ Chris Pullen opened the scoring with a short jumper and Jared Yoder got the Foresters on the board with a floater in the lane.  A minute later Heath Sitton put the Bobcats up 4-2 on a fade away deuce, but HU’s Alex Kock countered with a three to put the Foresters up 5-4 at the 17:11 mark.  It was HU’s only lead of the night. 

The remainder of the half for the Foresters was marked by multiple three and four minute scoreless droughts including a 4:15 stretch that turned a 21-18 deficit into a 28-18 Bobcat advantage with just under three minutes to play in the half.  A Chase Verba lay-up with 2:39 to go ended the 7-0 Ozarks run and a field goal and two free throws from Kock allowed HU to head to the locker room down just four at 28-24.  After hitting just 9-32 (28%) field goals and being out-rebounded 25-13 in the first half, the Foresters were fortunate to still be in the game at the break.

Kock got things rolling in the second half with two charity tosses for HU and Kyle Ganton answered a Bobcat field goal with a jumper to pull the Foresters within two at 30-28, but back-to-back HU turnovers got the boisterous Bobcat crowd involved and the momentum began to swing.  Two Kyle Benge free throws were the only points the Foresters could muster for the next 4:21 and Ozarks took advantage pushing its lead to 40-30 five minutes into the half.  An 8-3 spurt got the Foresters within five at 43-38 with 12:08 to play, but following a media timeout, Corey Stone scored five unanswered points to push the Bobcats’ lead back to ten at 48-38.  A Kock field goal at the 9:00 minute mark made it an eight-point HU deficit, but another offensive dry spell that spanned six and a half minutes with no field goals and just five free throws put the Bobcats in command of the game.  A traditional three-point play from Benge at the 2:30 mark got the Foresters within 15 at 65-50, but they would get no closer as the Bobcats hit 7-8 from the charity stripe to earn the National title.

The Foresters were not much better from the field in the second half at 31% (10-32) and were at 30% for the game.  Michael Bonaparte, the National Tournament MVP, scored 25 points to lead all scorers in the game.  Heath Sitton added 17 points and Andrew Boyce chipped in 10.  Kock paced the Foresters with a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Benge added 20 points off the bench.  Joining Bonaparte on the All-Tournament team was Kock and Ganton from HU, Sitton and Pullen from the Ozarks, Jacob Nellor and Adam Hepker from MidAmerica Nazarene, Johnny Viehland from Lindenwood, Brad Schmit from Morningside, and Jason Hicks from Walsh.  HU’s Doug Sheckler was the recipient of the NAIA’s Hustle Award.