March 21, 2009

SALEM, Va. (AP) -Tyler Nading had 20 points and eight rebounds Saturday as Washington University won its second consecutive NCAA Division III men's national championship, beating Richard Stockton 61-52.

Sean Wallis added 16 points and 10 assists for the Bears (29-2), who needed 27 years to get coach Mark Edwards his first national title and only one year to get him another one.

Santini Lancioni scored 19 points to lead Richard Stockton (30-3), which had its 18-game winning streak snapped. Lancioni, the New Jersey Athletic Conference player of the year, missed his first six shots before finding his stroke.

By then, the Bears had opened a 16-point lead, and their patient offense, led by Wallis and his pinpoint passing, was in command. Most of Nading's points came on feeds from Wallis.

Washington led 40-24 with 12 minutes to play before Lancioni's 3-pointer started a 15-7 run for the Ospreys. Lancioni added another 3, and Michael Farrow scored five in the burst.

Richard Stockton got as close as eight with 7:37 to play, but Nading scored on three consecutive possessions as the Bears extended their margin back to 55-41 and cruised.

Like the semifinals, when they won despite poor shooting, the Ospreys were hampered on offense. Scoring leader Omar Smith had just four points. No. 2 scorer Jerome Hubbard got five but missed 14 of 16 shots, including 12 of 13 3-pointers.

He finished 5-for-32 in two days and 2-for-24 on 3-pointers. Lancioni was 6-for-31.

The Bears led 29-16 at halftime and controlled the pace all game, rarely allowing the Ospreys to get into their up-tempo style. The Bears outrebounded Richard Stockton 41-29.