Minneapolis, MN – Top-seeded North Central University and second-seeded Spurgeon College punched their tickets to the 2025 NCCAA DII Men’s Basketball National Championship game after defeating a pair of regional rivals in the semifinals.
 
Semifinal One: #2 Spurgeon College 93, #3 Manhattan Christian College 85
 
A big second half burst by #2 Spurgeon College pushed the Knights over #3 Manhattan Christian College and into the national championship game, as Spurgeon picked up the 93-85 victory.

• Manhattan Christian opened the contest on a 13-1 run, but a layup from Joseph Allen cut the Thunder advantage to just 16-11 in the first half. A three-ball from Landon Gray and an and-1 play by Jordan Carter put MCC back on top 21-11. 
• Scores from Drew Middleton and Jack Chamberlin got Spurgeon within three, put a pair of buckets from Davis Rokey and Jordan Carter pushed Manhattan Christian back ahead 47-39 at the break.
• Raven Ortiz nailed a three-pointer out of the break, and the Spurgeon offense continued to attack Manhattan Christian and get to the free throw line. A three pointer from Drew Middleton cut the Thunder lead to one, and a pair of driving layups by Diego Sanchez gave the Knights a 73-72 lead late in the second half, their first since it was 1-0 at the start of the contest.
• Spurgeon continued to keep Manhattan Christian at bay, charging into the paint with 35 fastbreak points. A layup from Ortiz iced the contest, and the Knights punched their ticket to the title game, taking the 93-85 victory.
• Drew Middleton led Spurgeon with 27 points, adding four assists and three steals. Despite the loss, Micah Lovett of Manhattan Christian stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 19 points, recording five rebounds and dishing out six assists.

 
Semifinal Two: #1 North Central University 83, #4 Crown College 76
 
In a rematch of last year’s national championship game, it was top-seeded North Central University coming out on top over #4 Crown College to move on to the national championship match for the second year in a row.

• Both teams traded buckets early, but scores from Remy Wedgeworth-Brown and Carrington McNeal put North Central ahead 21-10 with 13:51 left in the first half. Shots from Parker Behne, Carter Behne, and Anthony Knight connected for the Polars, but a pair of Malik Siggers layups swelled the Ram lead to 27-18. 
• A Tanner Holtman layup kept NCU on top, but a layup from Micah Ladd and a three-pointer right before the intermission from John Grigsby kept Crown within striking distance, trailing just 37-35 at the break.
• Quick buckets from Parker Behne and Tyrus Buckner tied the game early in the second half, and another triple from Grigsby put Crown on top 42-40 before a Carmello McNeal layup and a Jaquan Adams three-ball put North Central back in front 48-46. 
• The two teams continued to go back-and-forth, trading the lead four times in the final six minutes of play. Carmello McNeal came up big for the Rams once again, nailing a pair of shots in the lane to keep NCU ahead by five, and one more layup from the junior clinched the win and a spot in the national championship game for North Central with the 83-76 victory. 
• Carmello McNeal finished with 28 points and seven rebounds to lead the Rams. Buckner paced Crown with 25 points and 12 rebounds. 

 
Consolation: #7 Bob Jones University 93, #6 Campbellsville University Harrodsburg 89 (OT)
 
Six seed Campbellsville University Harrodsburg and #7 Bob Jones University needed an extra stanza for their clash this afternoon at Crown, but when the dust cleared, it was the Bruins on top with a 93-89 victory.

• For the second game in a row, Bob Jones came out hot, draining five three-pointers in the first half to go ahead by 12. The Pioneers struggled to hit shots from deep, but managed to claw back and trailed just 44-39 at halftime.
• Campbellsville Harrodsburg began to go to work inside the paint in the second half, as Evan Frederick put up a bucket off an assist from Warner Bryan to put CUH ahead 71-70 late in the second half.
• A big dunk from Trevor Brunson gave Bob Jones the lead, but Jacob Tucker nailed a corner three with seconds remaining in the game and sent the contest to overtime tied at 82 apiece.
• The overtime period was all Bruins, as Devin Pope slid into the lane to put BJU ahead and forced a turnover on the other end, as Bob Jones held on for the 93-89 victory.
• Pope set a new career-high in points with 34 points, shooting 12-for-16 from the field while also flirting with a triple-double, hauling down seven rebounds and handing out six assists.

 
Consolation: 5 Grace Christian University 95, #8 Champion Christian College 90
 
Despite being down by as many as eighteen points in the second half, #5 Grace Christian University rallied to knock off #8 Champion Christian College 95-90 to secure a spot in the fifth-place matchup on Saturday, March 15.

• For the second day in a row, Grace Christian opened the contest perfect from beyond the arc, and an electric dunk from Brayden Gable put GCU on top 20-17 in the first half. 
• Adrian Brown began to heat up for Champion Christian, scoring 18 points in the opening frame and nailing a three right before the buzzer to put the Tigers from Hot Springs, Arkansas ahead 46-43 at the break. 
• Champion Christian continued to roll in the second half, as a block by Josh Walpole led to an EJ Anderson bucket, sparking an 18-7 outburst, punctuated by another three from Brown to put CCC on top 73-59 halfway through the second half.
• Grace Christian chopped away at the lead, as a pair of threes from Keys Omari and Gable tied the game, before a step back three from Zac Yorke put GCU ahead 89-86 with two minutes remaining. Champion Christian got a pair of looks in the final thirty seconds to tie the contest, but neither fell, and Grace Christian completed the come-from-behind win.
• Yorke finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and hauling down 12 rebounds, while Omari scored 25 points and pulled down eight boards. Despite the loss, Brown scored 31 points for Champion Christian.
   

Action concludes from Crown College tomorrow, March 15, with three games. The 2025 NCCAA DII Men’s Basketball National Championship Game is set to tip off at 5:00 p.m. CT. The fifth and third-place games will tip off at 12:30 p.m. CT and 2:15 p.m. CT. Track the action by visiting the Division II Men's Basketball National Championship page here. 

About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with two national invitationals for 92 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.