NAIA
[Men's Basketball] #4 Drovers to Open Opening Round Against #13 LSU-A on Friday
CHICKASHA, Okla. – On Friday evening, the No. 4 seed University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (25-6, 19-3 SAC) will open play at the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship – Opening Round in Alexandria, La. as they face the No. 13 seed Louisiana State University-Alexandria (20-6, 10-4 RRAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT at Rapides Parish Coliseum.The Drovers earned the Sooner Athletic Conference Regular Season champions, but suffered a disappointing loss in the SAC Tournament Semifinals, leaving the men hungry for redemption in the National Championship tournament. The appearance in the national tournament is the 11th in program-history, and the fourth with Chris Francis at the helm. Science & Arts and LSU-A have met three times previously, with the Drovers earning victories in two of the three contests, which includes the last two meetings. In the last showdown, USAO was triumphant at "The Fort" and defeated the Generals early in the 2019-20 season. It was just the fourth home loss in program history for LSU-A, which had been around for more than five years at that point in time.On the other side of the four-team bracket is No. 5 seed LSU-Shreveport (23-7, 13-2 RRAC) and No. 12 seed Missouri Baptist University (26-5, 15-1 AMC). Both teams won their conference tournament championships, and they will face each other on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 PM CT. The winners of each game will face on Saturday, March 12, with a trip to Kansas City, Mo. on the line. REGULAR-SEASON IN REVIEW –Chris Francis collected his first John Hudson SAC Coach of the Year honor, after leading the Drovers to a 24-5 regular season record and a No. 10 ranking in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, as well as the program's first regular season championship since the 2000-01 season. Coincidentally, the last Drover men's basketball head coach to earn the honor was Brisco McPherson (00-01), when he led the Drovers to the SAC Regular Season Championship, as well as a runner-up finish at the NAIA National Championship. Since taking the helm in 2015-16, Francis has led the Drovers to a 138-72 (.657) overall record as well as a pair of SAC Tournament Championships, and five NAIA National Tournament appearances.Under the guidance of Coach Francis, Cameron Hines (SR/Ft. Cobb, OK) was selected as the third player in program-history to be awarded SAC Player of the Year award. Hines also earned first-team All-SAC honors for his tremendous play, averaging 18.4 points per game. This season, the sharp-shooter from Ft. Cobb has knocked down 41.3 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and 89.1 percent at the charity stripe. In addition to his shiny, new SAC P.O.T.Y award, the decorated guard has earned three All-SAC selections, a NAIA All-America selection, 2021 SAC Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year, and the 2021 SAC Tournament MVP award. In his career he has tallied 1,752 points, 349 rebounds, 360 assists, and 96 steals. Hines ranks second in program-history in points, second in three-pointers made (284), and third in assists.Stephon Hall (SR/Oklahoma City, OK) reeled in his third consecutive All-SAC selection after another spectacular season on both ends of the court. Since stepping on campus in 2018, he has evolved from a good offensive player to a terrific all-round superstar. During the regular season, Hall delivered 15.5 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, 4.4 assists per game, and 1.66 steals per contest. He was very efficient on offense, shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three-point range, and 84.4 percent from the free-throw line. The Oklahoma City native owns the program-record for assists (408), while ranking second in steals (162), third in three-pointers made (211), and seventh in points (1,509).Rory Pantophlet (JR/Philipsburg, Sint Maarten) made an immediate impact in his first year as a Drover, tallying 9.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. The big man recorded seven double-doubles and hauled in 102 offensive rebounds, which ranked 13th in the NAIA this season. Pantophlet was incredibly efficient on offense, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 73.9 percent from the free-throw line. Stay up to date on all Science & Arts Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.comLive-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao/YouTube: Drover AthleticsTwitter: @DroverAthleticsFacebook: @DroverAthleticsInstagram: @drover_athleticsGIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers