Mustangs fall in NAIA Round of 16

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mustangs second half comeback came up short, as Arizona Christian defeated Morningside 85-63 in the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship Round of 16 Tuesday night in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

The Mustangs jumped ahead 13-7 early in the first half, but the Firebirds quickly tied things up and took the lead. Arizona Christian couldn't miss from there, building up a 16-point halftime lead and led by as many as 25 in the game.

At the half, Arizona Christian led 42-26. Arizona Christian made 54.8% of its shots in the first half, compared to 32.1% for the Mustangs. Joey Skoff scored 12 first-half points for the Mustangs.

With 15:58 to play, Morningside trailed 56-31. From there, Morningside went on a 15-3 run to make it a 13-point game with 11:15 to play. The Mustangs luck ran dry after that, as the Firebirds slowly pulled away again, ending the Mustangs' season.

Jack Dotzler shined in the second half, scoring eight points and dishing out six assists. For the game, Dotzler had a team high 14 points and team high eight assists. Brendan Buckley added 11 points and Trey Powers led the Mustangs with nine rebounds. 

Three Mustangs seniors played their final game Tuesday. Trey Powers, Will Pottebaum and George Davey finished their Mustang careers with a trip to Kansas City and a Round of 16 appearance.