POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The 2016 NCU men's basketball season came to an abrupt end on Friday afternoon, falling to No. 2 Seed Indiana Wesleyan in the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship tournament, 84-79. Tied with two minutes to go, IWU's Jonny Marlin drained a three-pointer and a two-pointer in the final 44 seconds to help the Wildcats pull away.
 
Marlin finished with 26 points, hitting five three-pointers as IWU shot 62.5% from outside. As a team, the Wildcats shot 50% from the field and committed just nine turnovers.
 
NCU Head Coach Luke Jackson said, "I think that is the best team in the tournament. It was a hard fought battle for 40 minutes and it took their best player having his best game to be able to beat us. Marlin is a big time player that could be playing and contributing at Indiana, but because he's a solid young man that cares about more than just basketball, he's at Indiana Wesleyan."
 
The battle developed early as the teams traded blows throughout the first half to the tune of nine lead changes and six ties. A pair of free throws at the halftime buzzer from Marlin lifted the Wildcats to a 41-37 lead at the break.
 
Marlin again went to work early in the second half, hitting a jumper to put IWU ahead by seven points, 45-38 for their largest lead of the night. The Beacons responded with back-to-back triples from Kenny Blackwell and Austin Kuemper.
 
For the next 11 minutes the teams continued to volley. The Wildcats would expand the lead to four or five and each time the Beacon climbed back to within one. After a bucket by IWU's Lane Mahurin made it 63-58 with 8:37 to play, NCU answered with a jumper from Omar Richards and back-to-back layups by Jay Mayernik, taking their first lead since late in the first half.
 
As had been the case all evening, the teams again took turns making big shots, trading leads four more times. With 2:04 to play a Blackwell layup knotted the score for the 12th time of the night, 76-76. Mahurin gave Indiana Wesleyan the lead for good on their very next possession, however, setting up the dramatic final minute for Marlin.
 
The Beacons shot 54% from the field but were just 8-for-23 from outside. Junior Mayernik finished the game with 19 points and eight rebounds and freshman Blackwell added 17 points and four assists.
 
Senior Kuemper closed out his career with a 14-point night, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. Richards added 12 points. Tonight became the final game for both of them, along with fellow seniors Javonte Byrd, Nick Sullivan and Donta Harris.
 
"Our seniors dedicated themselves and gave a lot and did a great job representing NCU," said Jackson. "I am so thankful to them and their parents for allowing me to be a small part of their lives for something that I think they are going to look back on and cherish for a long time."
 
NCU finishes their greatest season in school history with a record of 28-7 after winning the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament championships. Jackson said, "I'm so proud of our guys. They gave it their best all season. In a lot of ways I think we overachieved. This was a special group that I am going to remember forever."