Stillman Men’s Basketball falls in the second round of the NAIA Tournament

For the fifth year in a row, Stillman Men’s Basketball earned a spot in the NAIA Tournament.

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Tatumn Vaught

For the fifth year in a row, Stillman Men’s Basketball earned a spot in the NAIA Tournament. The Tigers had a lot of pressure to follow last year’s trip to the Sweet 16, and although they fell just short, Stillman went 1-1 in the tournament held in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

Friday night, Stillman took on Union College of Kentucky in the opening round and came out with the win. The Tigers lead with under five minutes to go. Derrick Finklea took a charge down low, which was a big defensive stop for the Tigers.  Union cut Stillman’s lead to four points, with a minute and a half to go. The Tigers three-pointer was off the mark, but Travious Johnson grabbed the miss and got the put back to go. Stillman held on to beat Union College, 67-65.

The Tigers advanced to the second round after their win against Union to face off against Thomas More of Kentucky. Unfortunately, the Tigers defense didn’t seem to get off the bus today, forcing an end to their tournament run with an 80-67 loss against the Saints. Stillman allowed Thomas More to dominate the glass and on the scoreboard, ending their season. Thomas More will advance to the round of sixteen.

Head Coach John Teasely spoke after the loss of how proud he was of his team and what they accomplished this year.

“You know, I told my guys in the locker room just a few minutes ago how proud I was of them,” Teasely said. “There were a lot of other teams that wished they were playing today and we were one of the fortunate ones who were able to. We were just proud of the way they worked all season to get here. It’s a long journey and they deserved it, so I was just proud of that.”