KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It began on October 25 with a game that tipped off at 9:00 p.m. Three games later, a setback. Then the Freed-Hardeman University Lions rattled off 32 consecutive wins. Undefeated through a conference slate of seven teams that featured four making the tournament and three advancing to the round of sixteen. Then came the Mid-South Conference championship where the Lions made it an unprecedented four consecutive tournament championships. FHU would then host the first and second rounds before advancing to Kansas City to play four games in five days. Freed-Hardeman would win three of those to fight for the national championship against Langston (Okla.) University in a rematch of the 2024 title game. Using their stout defense, the Lions held off the Langston Lions to win, 76-71, to bring the Maude Naismith Trophy and the Big Red Banner home to Henderson for the second time as 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Champions.
"Coach [Drew] Stutts and [Assistant] Coach [Grant] Burns have done an excellent job of raising the standard on campus," said FHU athletic director Jonathan Estes. "It's really impressive what they've been able to do with different players."
The last remaining No. 1 seed, Freed-Hardeman (35-1) was stunned from the jump with Langston scoring the first four points of the game.
Phil Horton added free throws to put the FHU Lions on the board before
Blake Dean sank the first triple of the game.
Jailen Anderson then hit four straight free throws, but for every basket FHU would make, Langston was right there with an answer. Horton's 3-pointer, followed by Anderson's steal and score gave FHU their largest lead at four with 4:22 left in the first half. Horton would later tally five straight points before
Rico Sain's buzzer-beater gave FHU a 33-30 halftime lead.
"We wanted to win the last 10 minutes," said Coach
Drew Stutts. "We knew that if we kept it close that we could just grind it out at the last 10 because of our depth."
That depth showed as FHU tallied 30 points off of the bench. The second half began with three-seed Langston (29-8) scoring the first six points of the half to take a three-point lead. As has been the case all season, individuals would go on short bursts.
Caleb Thomas would drive into the lane to score four hotly contested layups.
DJ McIntyre then scored eight points before Sain's triple at 8:44 gave the FHU Lions the lead they would not give up. Horton would add a layup before a free throw gave his squad their largest lead of the championship at 10. Langston; however, was poised to have a late comeback of their own. The LU Lions would score five points in 12 seconds to pull within one possession.
Lane Lauderbaugh coolly sank both of his free throws to keep the game out of reach for good until the confetti flew and the FHU celebration began for the 76-71 championship win.
"It's so good to see coaches do things the right way," said Freed-Hardeman University president David Shannon. Attending all of the games in Kansas City, Shannon continued, "It's just great to see the team and to be able to see so many fans that come and have that experience together."
Freed-Hardeman shot 49% from the field in the victory, forcing 16 turnovers. FHU would swipe nine steals in the contest that featured eight ties and 16 lead changes.
Comparing this title to the one he helped win in 2024,
Phil Horton said, "This one feels special. I know how hard it is to win it once, so winning it twice is amazing."
Horton himself was amazing, leading FHU's offense with 18 points and at the window with six rebounds. For his efforts, Horton was honored as the Chuck Taylor Tournament Most Valuable Player.
"I love
Phil Horton," chuckled Stutts. "He has allowed me to coach him hard and, boy, did it pay off today."
Jailen Anderson followed with 16 points, including going 10-for-11 from the charity stripe while
DJ McIntyre finished with 14 points.
Dr. Matt Cook, one of Freed-Hardeman's Bible professors who made the trip to Kansas City, loved seeing some of his students do what they do best.
"What was really cool is I had a couple of freshmen in my Life of Christ class this fall thinking they were just freshmen and weren't going to play. But they played a big part and so I'm really proud of my freshmen Caleb [Thomas] and Rodney [Henderson]."
The Lions will hang their second Big Red Banner, capping FHU's most successful season in both wins at 35, win percentage at 97.2%, and wins in a row at 32 and counting.
Rico Sain had the third-most steals in an FHU season with 84 while
Jamarcus Powell had the third-best shooting season in FHU history with a 63.5% field goal percentage.
