POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - A stubborn defense has been the calling card for Warner Pacific all year, and the trend continued on the big stage as the Knights cruised past Olivet Nazarene University, 79-54, in the opening round of action at the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
The Basics• Score: Warner Pacific 79, Olivet Nazarene 54• Records: WPC (26-7), ONU (25-9)• Location: Keeter Gymnasium, Point Lookout, Mo..• The Short Story: The Knights advanced to the second round for the fifth time in program history and are the third team from the Cascade Collegiate Conference to punch their ticket to Friday, joining No. 4 College of Idaho and No. 14 Concordia. Warner Pacific improves to 26-7 on the year. Coletun Tarr led all scorers with 22 points, going 9-for-13 from the floor, and was one of five Knights' players in double figures. The senior drained all three of his three-point attempts. Earl Jones also had a big night offensively, scoring 18 points and making 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. How it Happened• An early 12-2 run punctuated by consecutive baskets from Jones put Warner Pacific on top for good as the Knights built up a double-digit lead in the first half.• Olivet Nazarene charged back to within six (30-24) at the three-minute mark but another 10-2 run by WPC gave the Knights a 40-26 advantage at the break.• Warner Pacific was never threatened in the second half, using its zone defense to limit ONU to shooting just 30% from the field. The Knights pushed the lead to as much as 34 points late in the final 20 minutes.• The Knights shot 48% for the game, 44% from beyond the arc (12-for-27). Ryan Parks chipped in 13 for WPC.• The Tigers struggled to get anything going offensively versus the WP zone, shooting 30% from the field and 24% (4-for-17) from the three-point arc.• Aaron Larson led the Tigers with 13 points and Austin Davis added 12. ONU, in its first ever trip to the DII championship, ends the season with a 25-9 record. • Warner Pacific will match-up with defending champion and No. 1 ranked Indiana Wesleyan on Friday, March 13 at 2:00 pm at the Keeter Gymnasium.