(6) SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN EAGLES (6-9) vs (3) OUAZ SPIRIT (11-5)
Game Details	Wednesday, March 17 • 12:30 p.m. (Arizona) • Winona Lake, Ind. • Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center
Video Stream	thenccaa.org/network
OTT App	NCCAA Network (Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku)
Live Stats	gclancers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Game Notes	OUAZ (PDF)
Tournament Central	NCCAA Tournament Central

SPIRIT NOTES
• For the first time in program history, the OUAZ men's basketball team will play in the postseason. OUAZ is the No. 3 seed at the 2021 NCCAA DI Men's Basketball National Championship that will be played on Wednesday through Saturday at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.

• The Spirit open the tournament with a quarterfinal game against sixth-seeded Southwestern Christian on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. (AZ). The game is the first of three at the National Championship, although teams can't win the title once they lose a game.

• All 12 games of the tournament will be played at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. A limited number of tickets are available at gclancers.com/tickets.

• The NCCAA will broadcast every game of the National Championship on the NCCAA Network on a pay-per-view basis. The NCCAA Network is available on both desktop and mobile/tablet devices at thenccaa.org/network, as well as on OTT platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV.

• Live stats will also be available during the games with a link will be available on the men's basketball schedule on the OUAZ website or at OUAZSpirit.com/live.

• OUAZ will enter the postseason with an 11-5 overall record during the regular season. The Spirit went 5-3 in games played away from home this season, including 2-0 on a neutral court.

• The Spirit finished third in the GSAC East Division with a 6-4 record in league play. It was the first time in the program's three years in the GSAC it finished with a winning record in conference games.

• OUAZ's third-place finish in the GSAC East Division – and third-most wins in the league overall – came in a season the Spirit were picked to finish eighth in the 10-team league at the start of the season.

• The "Play Fast" offense of the Spirit has been in full effect this season. They have scored at least 80 points in a game eight times and they have gone for 90-plus five times. In scoring 80.81 points per game, OUAZ currently ranks 58th in the NAIA and 11th in the NCCAA.

• That high-scoring attack has been anchored by the efficient shooting of the team. The Spirit are shooting 49.2 percent from the field this season to rank 22nd (NAIA) and third (NCCAA) in the country. They have been at 50 percent or better eight times.

• They shot 61.5 percent against San Diego Christian on February 15. That is the second-best shooting performance in team history and marked the third time this season they made at least 57 percent in a game.

• OUAZ has added the long ball into its repertoire this season, with nine games with at least 10 made 3-pointers. The team is averaging 9.31 makes from beyond the arc per game where they rank 45th in the  NAIA and 12th in the NCCAA.

• The team makes 38.5 percent from long range to place the Spirit third in the NCCAA and 19th in the NAIA in 3-point field goal percentage.

• The Spirit is third in the NCCAA by averaging 17.44 assists per game – 17th in the NAIA – and they have recorded 20-plus assists in a game five times this season.

• On the defensive end, OUAZ is giving up 74.81 points per game and they are second in the NCCAA and sixth in the NAIA by holding opponents to 28.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

• Kam Malbrough became the first player from OUAZ to be named to the GSAC All-Conference Team after leading the Spirit in scoring at 18.00 points per game during the regular season.

• Malbrough scored in double figures in 15 of the team's 16 games this season and had five games with at least 20 points.

• He ranks 21st in the NCCAA in scoring average while his 5.00 assists per game is fifth (22nd in NAIA). Malbrough has recorded at least five assists in a game eight times.

• In his 10 games played this season, Josiah De'laCerda has averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. His nine double-digit scoring outings include three games with at least 20.

• De'laCerda shoots 57.0 percent from the field and recorded his first OUAZ double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds in the regular season finale at William Jessup on February 27.

• Kolten Hitt used 11 games in double figures to sit third on the team by scoring 12.1 points per game. 

• Marcus Williams averages 10.4 points per game and leads the Spirit with 42 made 3-pointers. He made multiple threes in a game 12 times, including each of the final six games of the regular season.

• OUAZ had two players named to the NCCAA All-West Region teams. Malbrough was named to the first team while Hitt made the second team.

• It was the first all-region honor for both players.

• The NCCAA West Region also named OUAZ head coach Matt Keeley the region's Coach of the Year.

• The winner between OUAZ and Southwestern Christian will play the winner of No. 2-seed Columbia International and No. 7-seed Alice Lloyd on Thursday at 4 p.m. (AZ). 

• The championship game is on March 20 at 2 p.m. (AZ).

• Grace College is the tournament's No. 1 seed and they will play No. 8-seed SAGU American Indian College in the first round. 

• The No. 4-seed is Northwestern (Minn.) and they will open against No. 5-seed Lancaster Bible.