(4) NORTHWESTERN (MN) EAGLES (16-3) vs (3) OUAZ SPIRIT (13-5)
Game Details	Saturday, March 20 • 2 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
• Coming off an impressive performance in the semifinals on Thursday, the OUAZ men's basketball team will face Northwestern (Minn.) in the championship game of the 2021 NCCAA DI Men's Basketball National Championship on Saturday.

• The final game of the tournament between the No. 3-seed Spirit and No. 4-seed Eagles – is scheduled for 2 p.m. (AZ).

• All 12 games of the tournament will be played at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

• OUAZ enters the final game of the season with a 13-5 record and is guaranteed its best season by winning percentage in program history. They have won three straight overall and five of the last six games played. The Spirit are 7-3 in games played away from home this season, including 4-0 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 nine times and they have gone for 90-plus five times. In scoring 81.00 points per game, OUAZ is now ranked 59th in the NAIA and 10th in the NCCAA.

• That high-scoring attack has been anchored by the efficient shooting of the team. The Spirit are shooting 49.3 percent from the field this season to rank 19th (NAIA) and third (NCCAA) in the country. They have been at 50 percent or better nine 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 10 games with at least 10 made 3-pointers, including in the semifinal win over Alice Lloyd. The team is averaging 9.22 makes from beyond the arc per game where they rank 48th in the  NAIA and 11th in the NCCAA.

• The team makes 38.2 percent from long range to place the Spirit third in the NCCAA and 22nd in the NAIA in 3-point field goal percentage.

• The Spirit is third in the NCCAA by averaging 17.17 assists per game – 23rd 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 73.89 points per game and they are second in the NCCAA and eighth in the NAIA by holding opponents to 29.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

• Kam Malbrough became the first player from OUAZ to be named to the GSAC All-Conference Team and he leads the Spirit in scoring at 18.28 points per game.

• Malbrough has scored in double figures in 17 of the team's 18 games this season and has six games with at least 20 points.

• He ranks 20th in the NCCAA in scoring average while his 4.82 assists per game is sixth (31st in NAIA). Malbrough has recorded at least five assists in a game nine times.

• In his 12 games played this season, Josiah De'laCerda has averaged 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. His 11 double-digit scoring outings include four games with at least 20.

• De'laCerda posted a double-double – his second of the season –with a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds in the semifinals game on Thursday and he is shooting 59.2 percent from the field this season.

• Kolten Hitt has 13 games in double figures to sit third on the team by scoring 11.9 points per game. 

• Marcus Williams averages 9.8 points per game and is tied with Malbrough for the team lead with 45 made 3-pointers. He made multiple threes in a game 13 times, including during seven of the team's last eight games played.

• 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.

• Northwestern advanced to the finals with a 79-76 win over top-seeded Grace in the semifinals. The Eagles closed the game on a 10-1 run to upset the tournament host.

• UNW defeated Lancaster Bible, 67-65,  in the quarterfinals.