KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Schedule | Bracket] A pair of upsets in the final two games highlighted a thrilling day of action at the 2021 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship. After No. 13-seeded Jamestown (N.D.) defeated No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.) 88-83, the Bethel Pilots played giant-killers after knocking-off conference foe, No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan in the nightcap.

First Round Results – Day One | March 18, 2021

No. 9 St. Francis (Ind.) def. No. 8 Stillman (Ala.), 69-67 | Box Score

No. 5 Shawnee State (Ohio) def. No. 12 Bethel (Kan.), 69-59 | Box Score

No. 13 Jamestown (N.D.) def. No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.), 88-83 | Box Score

No. 16 Bethel (Ind.) def. No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan, 83-77 | Box Score

News and Notes

Game 1 – St. Francis (Ind.) def. Stillman (Ala.), 69-67

Stillman - No. 8 (Naismith)

- 4th overall national tournament appearance (First appearance as an NAIA member in the Round of 16)

- Ranked No. 7 in the NAIA with 14.1 offensive rebounds per game prior to today's contest

- Despite the loss, Stillman won the rebounding battle with a hefty 42-26 advantage

- The reserves for the Tigers outscored the St. Francis bench, 16-6

- Every Stillman athlete that played scored at least five points, with eight players scoring six or more

- Roger Davis led the Tigers with 16 points on a 6-for-13 showing from the floor, followed by Devin Merriweather's 15 points (6-for-14 from the field)

- Virgil Fields led all competitors on the glass with 12 rebounds (3 offensive) 

St. Francis - No. 9 (Naismith)

- 13th overall appearance 

- The Cougars have now won nine of their last ten games, dating back to Feb. 3

- Forced 22 turnovers for the Tigers while only committing nine of their own

- Currently leads the NAIA with 352 three-pointers on the season and ranks 2nd with 550 assists on the season

- St. Francis notched seven shots from beyond the arc while limiting Stillman to just three from long distance

- Antwaan Cushingberry led all scorers with 28 points after a 50 percent showing from the field

- Jalan Mull and David Ejah also finished in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively

Game 2 - No. 5 Shawnee State (Ohio) def. No. 12 Bethel (Kan.), 69-

Shawnee State - No. 5 (Cramer)

- Currently riding a 24-game winning streak, dating back to Dec. 5

- EJ Onu led all scorers en route to a triple-double performance: 29 points, 10 blocks, 10 rebounds 

- Less than 10 athletes have posted 10 blocks or more throughout the entire men's basketball tournament since 2006-07

- James Jones added 17 points, followed by Donovan Carlisle who chipped in with 11 points

- Finished shooting 38.2 percent from the field, 22.7 percent from long range, and 85.7 percent from the free throw line

Bethel - No. 12 (Cramer)

- First Round of 16 appearance

- Had eight players score in the contest, led by Clifford Byrd II with 16 points 

- Jaylon Scott recorded his 19th double-double of the season with a 10 point, 10 rebound showing. Nick Bonner and Bryant Mocaby also notched 10 points each

- Tavaughn Flowers led the Threshers with six assists

- Shot 28.2 percent from the floor, 20.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 68.4 percent from the charity stripe

Game 3 - No. 13 Jamestown (N.D.) def. No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.), 88-83

Faulkner - No. 4 (Cramer)

- 12th appearance (now 11-10 all-time at nationals)

- This was the first trip to Municipal for the squad since March 2016 

- C.J. Williamson led all scorers on the night with a 28 point performance and added 10 rebounds

- Jordan Hamlette poured in 23 points on a 10-for-16 showing

- Austin Rogers (12 points) and Garrett Sanderson (11 points) also finished in double figures

- Faulkner won the turnover battle after committing nine and forcing 19

- The Eagles shot 50 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from the three-point line, and 66.7 from the charity stripe

Jamestown - No. 13 (Cramer)

- 11th appearance (now 7-10 all-time at nationals)

- Mason Walters and Marc Kjos each poured in 26 points

- Walters notched a double-double after grabbing 12 rebounds

- Will Cordes also finished in double figures with 12 points

- The Jimmies got hot from distance and knocked down 13 three-pointers (eight from Kjos)

- Won the rebounding battle at a 36-28 margin

- Shot 55 percent from the floor, 48.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free throw line

Game 4 – No. 16 Bethel (Ind.) def. No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan, 83-77

Indiana Wesleyan – No. 1 (Naismith)

- 14th appearance (31-9 all0time record at nationals)

- Won the battle of the boards with a 47-38 advantage

- Kyle Mangas led the Wildcats with 22 points and six assists

- Seth Maxwell chimed in with a 16 point, 14 rebound double-double performance while also adding four blocks

- Dylan Alderson rounded out the double figure performers with 13 points

- The Wildcats recorded seven blocked shots and had eight scorers in the game

- Finished shooting 426. percent from the field, 35.7 percent from the three-point line, and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe

Bethel – No. 16 (Naismith)

- 17th appearance (32-13 all-time record at nationals) 

- Just the 7th time since 1957 that the No. 1 seed has lost in the first round of the final site

- TreVion Crews led the way with 29 points, seven assists, and six rebounds

- Jared DeHart (20 points) and Jani Griffith (10 points) also notched double digit performances

- Only committed six turnovers while forcing 17, outscoring the Wildcats 25-7 in the points off turnovers column

- Shot 41 percent from the floor, 35 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.6 percent from the free throw line

#NAIA#

ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 27 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA