The Freed-Hardeman University Lions
claimed a groundbreaking victory Tuesday,
March 26, 2024, becoming NAIA Men's Basketball National
Champions for the first time in the school's history.
KANSAS
CITY, Miss., March 28,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Despite trailing by six
points with one minute remaining in the championship game of the
2024 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship, presented by
Ballogy, FHU Head Basketball Coach Drew
Stutts and the Lions forced a flurry of turnovers and scored
the final 10 points of the game to take the Big Red Banner and the
championship trophy home to Henderson! They claimed a 71-67
championship victory over the Langston
(Oklahoma) University Lions Tuesday
night, March 26.
"This is a huge accomplishment for Coach
Stutts and the team and a great day for Freed-Hardeman athletics and the Freed-Hardeman family."
Utilizing phrases such as "Elite is Earned," "Today is the Day"
and "Committed to the Culture," Stutts said he believes his team
lived up to his expectations, saying, "They have just shown so much
resilience and so much toughness tonight. The last thing we talked
about before we went out of the locker room was 'the tougher team
wins,' and I think we have proven that throughout the course of
this year."
The Lions (32-4) lived up to a championship game with neither
team leading by more than two possessions. Ryley McClaran scored the championship's first
points with a three-pointer at 17:57 before Peyton Law and Hunter
Scurlock teamed up to score six unanswered points. A triple
by Langston at 13:40 gave LU a lead
they would hold on to for more than six minutes before Chase Fiddler joined Scurlock with layups to
give the FHU Lions a 23-22 lead.
Langston (35-2) would begin to hit
late jumpers before ending the first half on a 8-1 run to end the
first half of the championship game leading 40-31.
Langston stormed out of the locker
room to enter the second half with four unanswered points to jump
out to their largest lead of the game at 46-33. Quan Lax took advantage of a Langston turnover with a fast break layup to spark
a 6-0 run for the Lions. Lax bucketed a jumper before Law's layup
at 10:16 pulled FHU within three points. At 9:09, Geraldo Lane
drove into the paint on a fast break where he scored the bucket and
then drew a foul. JJ Wheat's jumper at 8:04 completed the comeback
and knotted the game 50-50 with 8:04 remaining in regulation.
Fifteen of the next 19 points came from the teams trading trips
to the free-throw line until Langston
bucketed a three-pointer with 3:42 remaining. That began a
seven-point run that put LU on top 66-60 with 1:55 left.
Trailing by six points with one minute in regulation, Lax coolly
sank a set of free throws before Lane
stole the ball from Langston, then
was fouled during a layup. Finding themselves not down by one point
with 40 ticks on the clock, Law flew through the air to disrupt a
deep inbound pass, giving it to Wheat; Wheat was then fouled with
the chance to tie or potentially take a lead. Wheat made the first
free throw to knot the game before hitting the second to give FHU a
68-67 lead with 35 seconds. A quick run down the court saw a layup
attempt by Langston, but again Wheat
was there. Wheat recorded the block and went coast-to-coast to
bucket a layup to give the Lions a 70-67 lead with 12 ticks. An
attempt to tie the game fell short, and after a foul on the rebound
attempt, Law's free throw clinched the Lion's quest for the
national title with the 71-67 championship win.
Derek Wiesemann, an FHU alumnus
from 2011 and Kansas City native,
makes as many trips to watch the Lions in his hometown as possible.
"This means so much to the school. It's been a long time coming as
there have been some really good teams in the past. This makes a
lot of people proud – not just the ones who have worn the jersey –
but everybody."
The Lions of FHU shot 47% from the floor while their opponents
ended with a 42% mark from the floor. Despite being out-rebounded
39-27, Freed-Hardeman forced 19
Langston turnovers and turned those
into 24 points.
"We are extremely proud," beamed Freed-Hardeman University President David R. Shannon. "Any team that wins the
national championship has to have a lot of grit, a lot of skill and
great coaching. And we get to see that at Freed-Hardeman."
Lax finished the year with a 15-point effort primarily going
9-13 from the charity stripe. Scurlock followed a rebound shy of a
double-double with 12 points and nine boards. Law helped out with
10 points. Scurlock also led the team with five assists and four
blocks.
"This is a huge accomplishment for Coach Stutts and the team and
a great day for Freed-Hardeman
athletics and the Freed-Hardeman
family," FHU Athletic Director Jonathan
Estes said. "The mission is to utilize your God-given
abilities to His glory, and I think these guys did that."
Making the All-Tournament team were FHU starters Lax, Scurlock
and Wheat. Wheat was honored with the Charles Stevenson Hustle
Award, while Scurlock ended his FHU career being named as the Chuck
Taylor Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
"It's a good way to end, and it's been worth every bit of the
ride," said Scurlock reflecting on his five-year career.
The mission of Freed-Hardeman
University is to help students develop their God-given
talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that
integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations
in Henderson and Memphis, FHU
offers associate, bachelor's, master's, specialist and doctoral
degrees. More information is available at fhu.edu.
Media Contact
Dawn Bramblett, Freed-Hardeman University, 731-608-7650,
dawn@bramblettgrp.com, fhu.edu
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SOURCE Freed-Hardeman University