Game Time... The Dordt University men's basketball team is to play against 21st-ranked Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) in a championship showdown in the Henderson Bracket of the 2023 NAIA National Championship - 1st/2nd Round tonight in Henderson, Tenn. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm.

Dordt, the top seed among the four teams in the bracket, has won five straight games, 10 of its last 11, and brings a 26-6 overall record into tonight. The host Lions, the No.2 seed, has won seven straight and is 24-8 overall. 

All-Time...This is the first match-up between the two teams. 

First Round Success...Dordt defeated the No.4 seed Bethel (Ind.) 101-92 in a high-scoring, first round contest played last night at Brewer Sports Center. The Defenders used a pair of long scoring runs (11-0, 8-0) to pull away from the Pilots in the first half and solidify its spot in the bracket final. All five Dordt starters scored in double figures, led by Bryce Coppock with a season-high 29 points. Jacob Vis (21pts). Lucas Lorenzen (19pts), Cade Bleeker (12pts) and Luke Rankin (11pts) were the other top Defender scorers. Dordt shot better than 60% in each half, 65% for the game, and converted 17-of-21 free throw attempts.

• Dordt Box Score vs Bethel

Freed-Hardeman outscored Indiana-Southeast 42-28 in the second half for a 65-57, come-from-behind win in the second game played last night in the Brewer Sports Center. Both teams shot well-below their season average in a low-scoring first half that resulted in a Grenadiers 29-23 lead. Down by as many as eight in the early stages of the final half, the host Lions came back and tied the game at 43 with seven minutes to go and went ahead for good after a lay-up by Geraldo Lane at the 6-minute mark. Hunter Scurlock scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the second half and JaQuan Lax finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine boards. 

• Freed-Hardeman Box Score vs IU Southeast

Scouting Freed Hardeman...

• ranked 21st in final poll, No.2 seed in Henderson Bracket
• 8th appearance in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament
  • all as a NAIA D-I institution
• 3-7 all-time record at the national tournament
  • 1998: 0-1
  • 2009: 0-1
  • 2011: 0-1
  • 2014: 2-1 (lost in quarterfinals)
  • 2015: 0-1
  • 2016: 0-1
  • 2022: 0-1
  • 2023: 1-0
• Head Coach: Drew Stutts (4th year)
  • 2019-20 was 1st season
  • previously a high school coach
• members of the 12-team Mid-South Conference
  • 5 teams from the Mid-South qualified for the field of 64
    • Georgetown - regular season champions
    • Pikeville
    • Shawnee State
    • Thomas More
• qualified by winning the Mid-South postseason title
• finished 2nd in regular season with 16-6 record, 24-8 overall
• 7-game win streak
• return four starters from last year's squad that ended with 19-12 record
  • lost top two scorers, including All-American,  Kortland Martin, the school's career scoring leader
• led the conference in points per game - 79.3 
• led the conference in FG % - 52%
• top players:
  • Ryley McClaran - 2nd team all-conference
    • returning starter
    • leads team with 12.4ppg and 52 3pters
  • Brandon Thomas - 1st team all-conference
    • transfer from Bryan (Tenn.)
    • led conference in shooting % (68%)
    • 12.4ppg
  • JJ Wheat 
    • 11.3ppg
  • JaQuan Lax - HM all-conference
    • 10.6ppg, 36 3pters
  • Hunter Scurlock 
    • returning starter
    • 10.1ppg

Defender News and Notes...

• received votes in final poll, No.1 seed in Henderson Bracket
• 7h appearance in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament
  • 3rd in the 1-division format (1988, 2022 and 2023)
  • also qualified for D-II in 2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014
• 7-6 all-time record at the national tournament
  • 1988: 2-1
  • 2006: 0-1
  • 2012: 2-1 (lost in quarterfinals)
  • 2013: 2-1 (lost in quarterfinals)
  • 2014: 0-1
  • 2022: 0-1
  • 2023: 1-0
• Head Coach: Brian Van Haaften (5th year)
  • 2018-19 was 1st season
  • previously at Buena Vista (26 years, over 400 wins)
• members of the 11-team Great Plains Athletic Conference
  • 5 teams from the GPAC qualified for the field of 64
    • Jamestown - regular season champions
    • Morningside
    • Northwestern
    • Concordia
• qualified by winning the GPAC postseason title
• finished 3rd in regular season with 14-6 record, 26-6 overall
• 5-game win streak; won 10 of last 11
• return all five starters from last year's squad that ended with 20-11 record
• leads NAIA in field goal % - 55%
• ranks 3rd in the NAIA in scoring - 90.9ppg
• rank 6th in NAIA in 3-point % - 39%
• leaders:
  • Jacob Vis - 1st team all-conference
    • leads team with 19.7ppg and 7.6 rpg
  • Bryce Coppock - 1st team all-conference
    • 17.5ppg, 48 3pters, 72 assists
  • Lucas Lorenzen - honorable mention all-conference 
    • 13.4ppg, 52 3pters
  • Cade Bleeker - HM all-conference
    • 10.9ppg, 60 3pters
  • Jackson Louscher  
    • 9ppg
    • all-conference in 2022
  • Luke Rankin - 2nd team all-conference
    • 8.3ppg, 5th in NAIA with 201 assists