EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The top-ranked Metro State advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II championship tournament, with a 106-87 win against the Tuskegee Golden Tigers. The win marks the team's sixth national semifinals appearance since 1998, the most of any Division II school. The Roadrunners are the first team to reach 100 points in the Division II tournament this season.
The Roadrunners took the bite out of the Golden Tigers early, ending the first half with a 42-28 lead. Senior guard Brandon Jefferson led all scorers with 12 points, while Harrison Goodrick went 5-of-5 from field goal range to add 10. Metro State out-rebounded Tuskegee 26-16. Junior forward Nicholas Kay led both teams with eight rebounds, and had eight points. Tuskegee had five turnovers, while Metro State had two.Despite some early foul trouble, having three personal fouls in the first half, Kay recorded his 12th career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the game. Jefferson came out with 4:10 left to play – he led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 13 of his 15 free throws. He also had four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Freshman forward/center Goodrick was 8-of-11 from field goal range and 1-of-2 from the arc for a total 17 points, and pulling down four rebounds. Junior guard Mitch McCarron had 15 points, hitting 11 of his 14 free throws, seven rebounds and seven assists. Senior guard Raul Delgado had 12 points and four rebounds.
Metro State had its largest lead of 26 points with 7:50 left in the game. Players off the bench contributed 42 points, with every player scoring. MSU Denver scored 64 points in the second half. The last time Metro State scored more than 60 points in one half was in 2007.
Overall, the Roadrunners were 82.9 percent from the line, shot 50.0 percent from three-point range, and were 45.7 percent for field goals.
Tuskegee senior point guard Keith Winn, Jr. led the Golden Tigers with 18 points. Senior small forward Richard Dixon finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore guard Kevin May had 13 points and six rebounds.
