FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Cortez Garland scored 22 points and Nate Tucker scored 13 points and Trine University beat Hampden-Sydney 69-61 on Saturday to claim the NCAA Division III national championship.
It’s the first men’s college basketball championship for the Thunder (29-4), who entered the 64-team tournament ranked 13th in the country. Hampden-Sydney (31-3) ranked No. 1.
Aidan Smylie scored 12 points and Drew Moore added 10 for Trine of Angola, Indiana.
Adam Brazil was the lone player for Hampden-Sydney (Sydney, Virginia) to score in double-digits with 23 points but was 6-for-22 shooting.
The Tigers led 25-23 at the break before Garland tied it with a jump shot, provided a pair of foul shots for a two-point lead and then buried a 3-pointer to complete his 7-0 run in less than two minutes. The Thunder led the remainder.
Smylie sank a 3 with 5:47 left made it 50-41 in Trine’s favor before Hampton-Sydney closed within three off a pair of foul shots by Ryan Clements, a layup by Davidson Hubbard and jump shot from Josiah Hardy.
But Cortez Garland countered with a three-point play, brother Fred Garland made a 3 and Cortez Garland made a jumper to make it 59-48 with 2:13 left and the Thunder cruised from there.
Trine went 6 for 6 from the foul line in the last 33 seconds. The Thunder went 22 for 25 from the foul line overall.
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