POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — CIU men's basketball delivered a dramatic finish Tuesday afternoon, defeating Ohio Christian 91–90 in the quarterfinals of the NCCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship on a last-second three-pointer by Will Kelly.
Kelly's game-winner came with one second remaining, capping a back-and-forth contest that featured multiple momentum swings down the stretch. After Ohio Christian took a 90–88 lead with 52 seconds left, JJ Vaughan answered with a jumper at the 0:47 mark to cut the deficit to two. Following a defensive stop, the Rams secured possession and set up the final play, where Kelly connected from beyond the arc for the walk-off victory.
Vaughan led CIU with a historic performance, pouring in 36 points to set a program record for most points scored in an NCCAA Tournament game. He was dominant from long range, knocking down eight three-pointers while shooting 13-of-20 from the field.
JJ Vaughan connected on eight triples. PC: Steve Rackley
CIU built a 43–36 halftime lead behind Vaughan's hot shooting, as he scored 24 points in the opening half alone. The Rams maintained control for much of the first half, extending their lead to as many as 10 points late in the period.
Ohio Christian responded in the second half, shooting over 60 percent from the field and eventually taking the lead midway through the period. The Trailblazers pushed their advantage to as many as 10 points with 6:55 remaining before CIU mounted its comeback.
James Davis added 15 points for the Rams, while Jeffrey Clark, II and Connor Higgins each contributed 10 points. Johnny Whysong also reached double figures with 10 points, helping CIU place five players in double figures.
CIU shot 53.7 percent from the field and connected on 10 three-pointers as a team, with the bench contributing 48 points in the win.
With the victory, the Rams advance to the NCCAA National Championship semifinals, where they will face host No. 8-seed College of the Ozarks on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. CT. The Bobcats are fresh off a quarterfinal win over NAIA ranked No. 19 Bethel (Ind.) who was the No. 1 overall seed.
