OVERLAND, Kan. – It was as dramatic of a game as you could ask for in the first round of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II Southwest Regional on Wednesday evening. No. 2 nationally ranked and top-seeded Manhattan Christian College was toppled in overtime by the Dallas Christian College men's basketball team, 91-87.
The No. 4 seed on the South Division entered this game looking to prove it belonged and gave the Midwest Christian College Conference (MIAA) Champions all it could handle by taking a three-point lead into halftime and being up three with less than three seconds left in regulation. However, the Thunder struck with a game-tying three by the Southwest Regional MVP, Jordan Marshall, as time expired.
Marshall also had the first two points in overtime, but the Crusaders kept exchanging baskets until
Joseph Allen drilled a rare three-pointer and
Jalen Perez followed on the next possession with a fastbreak trey to open up a five-point lead with barely a minute remaining. Needless to say everyone held their breath in the final 63 seconds, as Manhattan cut the score to three with 46 seconds. Allen would find
Tilyr Hobson on a baseline pass to the right-side of the basket to make it a five-point lead. DCC answered a missed shot by the Thunder with one-of-two free throws by Allen to match the largest lead of the game by the lower seed. MCC had a trifecta left by Ferdinand Handy Jr., but
Tyjuan Battles sealed the win with the second-of-two free throws in the final two seconds to finish the upset.
"It was huge. I am still a little in disbelief, but it was huge," DCC Head Coach Dwight Coleman stated after winning his first NCCAA Regional Game with the program.
This game had 19 lead changes and 12 ties. DCC was able to place a quintet of players in double figures for scoring led by Battles with 18 points. Hobson followed with 17, while Allen rounded out the top three with 15.
Jason Makayabo added 12, and Perez had 11 from the bench. The lone starter for DCC not to crack double-digits was
Jairus Allen, but he had eight points and team-highs in rebounds (11) and assists (4).
Battles was 6-for-9 from the field and 4-of-7 from downtown. The guard from Fort Worth, Texas, added five rebounds and had a steal and assist. He was big at the end of the first half with a three that banked in from the left side as the shot clock expired. That was with less than a minute to go and then the sophomore topped the level of difficulty with a long buzzer beater to give DCC a three-point lead at intermission.
Hobson was another key making all five free throws and tying
Joseph Allen with eight boards for second-most on the team. As a unit, the Crusaders were 18-for-26 at the free throw line. The Crusaders shot 43.7 percent overall and were 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from three. DCC committed three fewer turnovers, but got the most out of them with a 17-7 scoring advantage. Another area DCC thrived in was fastbreak points, with a 12-2 edge. The Crusaders held a 9-0 advantage in the first half, but had their remaining three in overtime. MCC's only points came in the second half.
Another stat of interest was the bench points. DCC held a slight overall edge at 21-20, but the first half was 15-4 with Manhattan getting the points from the bench. In the second stanza it was 14-2 favoring DCC.
"A testament to what these guys have been doing all year long," Coleman stated. "Any of these guys can go off on any night, but these guys are not selfish and play for each other."
DCC has been through a lot of challenges this season, which included only two home games in the fall portion of the 2021-22 season and a majority of matchups against NCAA and NAIA programs.
The Crusaders have shown lately to be a team getting hot at the right time, as it persevered with a victory against the second top-three nationally ranked team to be defeated in about a week by the Crusaders. DCC had topped No. 3 (at the time) Champion Christian College, 75-72, on Thursday, February 17.
"They love each other," Coach Coleman praised on his team's ability to share the ball. "Even had a guy [Perez] off the bench come in with 11 points. It's what they do."
It appeared in the first four minutes of the game that the Thunder were going to prove too much as they leaped out to a 13-4 advantage in the first four minutes. Makayabo drilled a trifecta and then
Joseph Allen got a three to start a 12-0 run. Makayabo swiped a steal for a quick layup and then after Battles had a theft it was
Jairus Allen on the fastbreak to give DCC the first lead of the game. Hobson ended the surge with an inside shot with about 12 minutes to go in the opening frame.
Things were close for the next 10 minutes, with the Thunder taking leads as large as five and six. Battles kept the game from going beyond two possessions with his second three. He had 10 of the Crusaders final 12 points and was the leading scorer at intermission.
Back-to-back triples by Manhattan Christian started the second half to show this was going to be a dogfight to the end. Since losing the lead early, the Crusaders were only able to tie at best through the next eight minutes. A trey by Perez at 11:45 gave the Crusaders a one-point lead again (59-58). Both sides got cold over the next three minutes, but it was DCC's bench players,
Caleb Willis and
Micah Tucker, that were crucial around the eight-minute mark. Willis had an inside shot make it 63-60 and then after a steal by
Jairus Allen, Tucker buried a trey with 6:20 left. Tucker had done well to take a couple of charges on the defensive end of the floor as well.
The Crusaders led by as many as six (68-62) after another Willis basket after he snatched the offensive rebound. Up five on a couple times in the waning minutes, the Thunder scored six straight points to take a 73-72 lead with 1:44 to go in regulation. Free throws began to be magnified, as Makayabo hit both to change the lead again with 1:25. MCC missed a trey, but DCC could not take advantage and turned the ball over. In under a minute,
Jairus Allen had perhaps the play of the game with a blocked shot and got fouled. With under 30 seconds, Allen missed the first of a one-and-one play to give Manhattan another chance with no shot clock and only needing a point. DCC's defense withstood again and Allen had the rebound and found Hobson, who was fouled. Hobson is not the highest percentage free throw shooter on the season, but he had ice in his veins with both absolute necessary makes. With 2.7 seconds, Manhattan's Marshall, who has a history of hitting buzzer beaters in Kansas Christian's gym, would get an open look at the top of the three and not miss with a swish that had the gym erupt.
"I told the guys we are undefeated in overtimes this year, so we knew we were going to be okay," Coleman said after the game when his guys came over after that game-tying shot.
The leading scorer in the game, Marshall, had the first basket of the extra period. Hobson came back to even the score on free throws. It was the second-most free throw attempts on the season and DCC made the first three of four in overtime. After each side went blow-for-blow on a one-point edge, it was
Joseph Allen that had the rebound and put up the go-ahead three for DCC with a minute and a half to go. Manhattan didn't get its three to fall and Perez had a fastbreak triple from the left corner spin the momentum with 1:03 left. As mentioned above, the Thunder fought to get the score to a possession, but the Crusaders made the clutch plays in the end.
"That is probably the epitome of what our team has been lately," Coach Coleman on every game coming down to the wire. "We practice mindfulness and talk about being in the moment and our guys did a great job of that tonight."
Dallas Christian improved to 7-14 overall, but have won a season-best four straight games and seven-of-nine against teams that are in the Southwest Region.
"We have been through a lot this year…had to play the play-in game just to get up here," Coach Coleman reflected. "To get the chance to play the MVP and Coach of the Year in the first round, we knew they would not go away."
Dallas Christian advances to the semifinals on Friday and will play the third seed of the North Division and host Kansas Christian College. The Falcons defeated Champion Christian, 74-64. Tip-off will be at 7:15 p.m. This will be the first time this season the teams face off. KCC is 9-13 overall, but are 7-3 at the friendly confines.
At the conclusion of the day, three of the four teams from the South Division advanced.
"Dallas Christian educates and mentors students to be people of influence engaging in their calling to the work of Christ in the church and in the world."
