KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Top-seeded Freed-Hardeman University survived a late cold spell to fend off the No. 5 seed Mustangs of The Masters (Calif.) University to advance to the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Presented by Ballogy with a 69-68 win.

The long ball was dropping for FHU (29-4) with Ryley McClaran sinking a 3-pointer on the first shot of the game. After the Mustangs answered with a layup, Quan Lax bucketed back-to-back triples to put the Lions on top 9-4. After TMU threw together a 5-0 swing to pull within one point, the Lions took off to outscore the Mustangs 11-1 across the next two minutes with Peyton Law's layup at 11:11 giving FHU the largest lead they would hold in the game at 12. In the final five minutes of the first half, the Lions were solid from the charity stripe, making four straight before Hunter Scurlock converted the three-point play to put the Lions up 42-34. A late 3-pointer from TMU and a tipin from Scurlock sent the squads to the break with FHU leading 44-38.

A pair of runs from The Master's (24-9) helped them creep back into the game. A 3-pointer began a 7-0 run that ended with the Mustangs within one possession of the Lions. JJ Wheat and Geraldo Lane would each add a set of layups to keep the FHU lead intact. The lead lasted until 5:50 when an offensive rebound led to a tipin from The Master's to tie the game 61-61.

Both the Lions and the Mustangs were icy in the final 10 minutes of the game with FHU going 3-17 from the floor, including a 1-13 turn to end the game. The Mustangs fared no better down the stretch, going 0-10 before connecting on three straight attempts before closing the game on an 0-7 dry spell.

A 3-pointer from The Masters put the Lions down by one with 1:17 to go. Quan Lax would then sink three of his next four free throws to give the Lions the 69-68 lead. With 10 seconds to go, Lane would block the potential goahead bucket before Scurlock was fouled with three seconds. Despite missing his free throws, Lax jumped in after the second miss to collect the offensive board and seal the 69-68 victory.

The Lions finished by shooting 33% from the floor while drawing even with the Mustangs with 46 rebounds each. FHU ended the game with 10 blocks and as many steals.

Quan Lax led the way for the Lions with a 10-13 mark from the free-throw line helping him to 18 points. Hunter Scurlock was a rebound short of a double-double with 16 points and a team-high nine boards. JJ Wheat chipped in with 10 points. Scurlock was his typical defensive beast with six steals and two blocks.
 

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Up Next

The Lions will meet up with an old foe by facing the No. 14-seed Central Baptist (Ark.) College. Formerly facing off regularly when the Lions were in the American Midwest Conference, the Mustangs upset the No. 2 seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University 84-79.