The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team won their first national title by leading from start to finish in a 111-101 victory against West Liberty (West Virginia) in the Div. II NCAA Tournament final Saturday in Evansville, Indiana.
The Sharks did not have a loss all season and end with a perfect 36-0 record.
Will Yoakum led the Sharks with 31 points, and RJ Sunahara contributed 28 before fouling out late.
The Sharks led 55-48 at the half, with Yaokum, Sunahara and Dallas Graziani accounting for 49 of the 55 points. Graziani finished with 24 points, nine assists and three rebounds.
Coach Jim Crutchfield finished his fifth season as NSU coach with a bang, after leading West Liberty for 13 seasons. He coached West Liberty to four-straight Elite Eight appearances with a 24-9 record in the NCAA Tournament. Ben Howlett, West Liberty’s current coach, both played and coached under Crutchfield.
West Liberty forward Ben Sarson was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul with just under 18 minutes left in second half for elbowing Yoakum. Yoakum played for three years for West Liberty before coming to NSU.
Bryce Butler led the Hilltoppers with 32 points and nine rebounds.
The Sharks averaged 103.8 points in the regular season, and the Hilltoppers scored 101.2 per game.
This story will be updated.
English (United States) ·