POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The Knights of Warner Pacific College have advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship tournament at College of the Ozarks for the fifth time in program history.  Their draw is none other than the defending champions and number-one ranked team in the country, Indiana Wesleyan.

Warner Pacific (26-7) took care of business on the first day of the event defeating #17 Olivet Nazarene, 79-54.  The Knights are making their ninth appearance in ten seasons at the national tourney and hold a 5-8 all-time record since 2006, but they've never made it out of the second round.  Coach Jared Valentine's teams are 2-2 on the big stage.  Warner Pacific won the Cascade Collegiate Conference co-championship for the second time in three years and earned an at-large bid to Branson ranked 16th in the land.

Indiana Wesleyan (32-2) from Marian, Indiana made quick work of Brescia and advanced with a 77-56 victory.  They won the regular season title and tournament championship in the Crossroads League.  The Wildcats, ranked #1 from beginning to end this season have won their past twelve games with only their second loss coming back on January 24th.  This is the program's eighth appearance at the tournament and seventh straight with a record of 15-6 on the big stage.
 

ONU found out first-hand just who Warner Pacific's deadly weapons are on Wednesday.  The thrilling threesome of seniors Doug Thomas, Coletun Tarr and junior Earl Jones, who each earned all-conference honors continue to rack up their stats. Thomas is averaging 16 points per game and about two three-pointers.  He has 72 on the season and 234 for his career.  Jones is chipping in 15.7 points, three assists, at least two steals while shooting 45% from three-point range with 41 made on the year.  Tarr averages 14 points, five rebounds while shooting 52%, nearly 81% from the foul line and 44% from long range.  Senior Ryan Parks has 303 career three-pointers and 87 this year.  He's also shooting 90% from the charity stripe.  Senior Co-Defensive Player of the Year Michael Hall scores nearly eight points and grabs 6.5 rebounds with 44 blocks this season.  Josh Black, also a senior is the nation's 11th best passer at this level averaging more than five per game, 611 for his career, and nearly two steals.

Thomas, Black and Parks have the most experience at the national tournament on the team.  This is their third appearance while Coletun is here for the second time.

Indiana Wesleyan has three players that average double figures in points.  Lane Mahurin shoots for just over thirteen and 55% from the field.  Johnny Marlin averages nearly as much, along with seven assists, which is second in the nation and 82% at the free throw line.  Bob Peters shoots 82% as well and is averaging just over twelve points.

Known for their reputation defensively, Warner Pacific holds opponents to around 63 points, seventh in the nation, under 39% from the floor (2nd) and 29.7 from three (3rd).  They're 11th in stealing the basketball with over nine on average while Indiana Wesleyan is close behind at 8.5.  On the offensive end, the Knights shoot 48% from the floor, good for 15th and 38% from three (20th).  The Wildcats have been just a little hotter at nearly 51% from the field, a mark that's fifth-best in the NAIA Division II.  IWU is also second in the nation from beyond the arc at 41%.  They're averaging 82.5 points and giving up just over 65 while distributing 18 assists.

These teams met here at the tournament in 2012 and Warner Pacific won in overtime, 79-76.  The winner will move on to the quarterfinals and face the winner of Friday's game between Davenport and Mount Mercy on Saturday at 5:00pm Pacific.

Catch the play-by-play live with Jeremy Scott on 1450AM KBPS due to a scheduling conflict on our radio flagship.  The pre-game show starts fifteen minutes before the tip on the radio, Knights Sports Network and the TuneIn Radio app.