Bears Defeat No. 14 Millsaps, 57-46, For Trip To Final Four

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St. Louis, Mo., March 15, 2008 – The No. 11 Washington University in St. Louis men’s basketball team is headed to the Final Four for the second-consecutive year after earning a 57-46 win over No. 14 Millsaps College in the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship Sectional Final at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo. Senior Troy Ruths earned Sectional MVP honors after scoring a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field.

The Bears advance to the Final Four for the second time in school history, and will face No. 1 Hope College in the National Semifinals at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va., on Friday, March 21 at 7 p.m. (ET). Hope advanced to the Final Four with an 83-70 win over Wheaton College (Ill.) on Saturday. Washington U. and Hope last met in the NCAA Tournament just a year ago, when the Red and Green picked up a 58-55 win in the Sectional Final in Stevens Point, Wis.
        
"This team has found ways all year long to win, so this one tonight didn’t surprise me," said Washington University head coach Mark Edwards, who picked up his 475th career victory" “I couldn’t be more proud of them. This is probably one of the biggest gut checks they’ve had all season."

Millsaps’ Edrick Montgomery and Rodney Rogan joined Ruths as NCAA all-sectional team selections. Montgomery averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds over the two games, while Rogan averaged 16 points per game. Junior Tyler Nading also was named to the all-sectional team, averaging 15 points, 7.5 boards and five steals. Freshman Alex Franz of St. Mary’s College (Md.) was the fifth to earn all-sectional honors, scoring 22 points with 15 rebounds and eight assists in the Seahawks’ Friday night loss to Millsaps.

Both Washington U. and Millsaps looked like a pair of teams that had played NCAA games less than 24 hours ago as the two combined to shoot just 3-of-21 from the field through the first 10 minutes of the game. But Millsaps was the first team to find its offensive rhythm, jumping out to a 17-10 lead on a three from senior Lorenzo Bailey. Back-to-back lay-ups from Rogan stretched the Majors’ lead to 11 points, but Ruths hit shots on consecutive WU possessions to pull the Bears back within single digits at 23-16.

The Red and Green were just 3-of-21 from the field before Ruths’ two baskets, and finished the half shooting 26.9 (7-of-26) percent from the field. Millsaps and WU combined to turn the ball over 20 times over the first 20 minutes of action and both teams struggled from long range, shooting a combined 4-of-21 from long-range.

The Majors built their nine-point, 27-18, halftime lead by shooting 10-of-19 from inside the arc, outscoring Washington University 14-8 in the paint, and were led by Rogan who scored a team-high eight points. Ruths led the Bears with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and freshman Caleb Knepper scored six points sinking WU’s two three-pointers. The 18 first-half points was a season-low for Washington U.

The Bears’ second half was a stark contrast to the first, as they outscored the Majors, 39-19, over the final 20 minutes. Trailing by nine to start the half, Washington U. reeled off a 17-2 run to start the second half, a stretch that ended with the Bears in front, 35-29, less than seven minutes into the half.

"I thought we did a great job defensively in the first half in coming up with balls and taking away their stuff and holding them to 18 points," Millsaps head coach Tim Wise said. "Then obviously in the second half, they took over. They are a heck of a team. Coach Edwards and his staff do a great job. Their players compete at a high level and they earned the win tonight."

When Montgomery hit a lay-up at the 12:56 mark to make the score 35-31, it was just Millsaps’ second field goal of the half. Rogan scored to pull the Majors back within two points, 35-33, but they came no closer for the rest of the game. Millsaps offensive output of 46 points was it’s lowest of the season; the Majors entered the game averaging 78.5 points per game. The win was Washington U,’s 71st-straight when holding its opponent under 60 points.

"In the second half we took more time on our shots. In the first half, it seemed like the ball kept flying out of our hands and we were playing sloppy," Ruths said. "In the second half, it was just as much of a mental comeback as a physical comeback. Mentally coming back also helped our shot selection and that’s when we seem to perform the best – when we think about what’s going on."

Washington U. shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field in the second half, while holding Millsaps to 25.8 percent shooting. Both teams struggled from three throughout the game, the Majors finished 3-of-26 from long range while the Bears shot 3-of-18.

Nading was the other Washington University player to score in double figures, netting 16 points. He narrowly missed recording a double-double, pulling down a team-high nine rebounds, and also tallied six steals. Montgomery finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Rogan scored a team-high 14 points.

2008 NCAA DIVISION III FINAL FOUR BOUND
Washington University in St. Louis