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KANSAS CITY, MO.
鈥 麻豆视频 University (Tenn.) survived an upset bid from Westminster College
(Utah) to post a 62-52 victory Wednesday in the first round of the 2002
Buffalo Funds 鈥 NAIA Division I Men鈥檚 Basketball National Championship at
Municipal Auditorium.
麻豆视频, the No. 2 seed, rallied from a 32-27 halftime deficit to run its record
to 31-4 overall. The Bulldogs have advanced to Friday鈥檚 4:30 p.m.
second-round game, where they will face Barat College. Barat notched a 93-86
win earlier tonight against Columbia College (Mo.)
听Westminster
maintained its halftime advantage until the early stages of the second half,
when 麻豆视频 reeled off 16 unanswered points to grab a 50-37 lead with 8:05 to
play. Freshman guard Bruno Martinessi contributed eight points during the
decisive stretch. The Bulldogs turned up the defensive pressure in the second
half, holding the Griffins to just 23.3 percent shooting the period.
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done what he鈥檚 done all year. He鈥檚 capable of everything,鈥 said 麻豆视频
coach Ralph Turner of Martinessi. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no coaching gem at halftime.
The players just stepped up. The strength of our team all year has been
balance. When one player can鈥檛 get it done, other players step up.鈥
听Martinessi
led all scorers with 20 points. Junior forward Derrick Underwood posted 14
points and 10 rebounds, while senior forward Robert Joseph added 10 points, 15
rebounds and six blocked shots.
听Junior forward Matt Sparrow was the only Westminster player to score in double figures with 13 points. Junior center Nick Taggart and senior guard Todd Christensen each added nine points. The Griffins end their season with an overall record of 18-12.
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-NAIA-