Wednesday, March 18, 1998

Associated Press
Olivet Nazarene's Lee Coomler fends off
BYUH's Isaac Gornichec.

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Seasiders ousted
in NAIA

Unseeded Olivet Nazarene
rallies in the first round of the men's
basketball tournament

From staff & wire reports

TULSA, Okla. -- Unseeded Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) got a ton of free throw opportunities and exploited them to defeat 12th-seeded Brigham Young University-Hawaii, 76-66, last night in an NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament opener before 4,312 fans at the Mabee Center.

The Seasiders finished their season at 19-8 after three consecutive losses. The Tigers (28-8) will play Central Washington in the second round.

Hawaii Pacific University (22-4), which won the Hawaii Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and received a first-round bye, will play East Central University of Ada, Okla. (18-8), today at 5:30 p.m. in a second-round game (TV, Oceanic Cable 16; radio, 760-AM, KGU).

Olivet Nazarene made 9 of 11 free throws in the first half in trailing, 32-27, at intermission. It converted 16 of 19 free throws in the second half.

The Tigers also shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half to improve to 47 percent for the game. BYUH shot 35 percent from the field.

Senior forward Chris Bates led BYUH with 19 points and six rebounds.

Senior forward Chris Graham led Olivet Nazarene with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Lee Coomler had 16 points.

Who would have guessed?

Olivet Nazarene defeated Brigham Young University-Hawaii despite:

Recording only two steals

Committing 23 turnovers to 13 for BYUH

Being outrebounded, 17-10, on the offensive end