COLUMBUS, GA - Brent Owen has taken Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball where they have never gone before. For the first time ever Lenoir-Rhyne are NCAA Regional Champions, taking down UNC Pembroke 76-74 in overtime on Tuesday night. Up big at the half, the Bears held on and outscored the Braves 8-6 in overtime to secure the win. Gabe Cerda hit his only shot of the game with 1:15 left in overtime, a jumper that ended up being the game winner. 

Leading the way was tournament MVP Conrad Luczynski, who finished with a huge 19-points, 10-boards, and six blocks. Also on the all-tournament team was Julian Dozier, who scored 41 points and dished out 12 assists in the three regional games. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #10 Lenoir-Rhyne 76, #25 UNC Pembroke 74 (OT)
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (29-5, 20-4 SAC), USC Aiken (25-7, 18-2 Conference Carolinas)
Location: Columbus, GA | Lumpkin Center

STORY OF THE GAME

• Thanks to 10 early points from Conrad Luczynski the Bears jumped out to a 25-13 lead.
• A 9-0 run from the Braves quickly cut the lead down to 25-22.
• Lenoir-Rhyne answered with an 11-0 run of their own, capped off by a Gabe Cerda free throw.
• Ziare Wells hit a free throw late in the half and LR went into the locker room with a 37-24 lead.
• The lead ballooned to 19 early in the second half thanks to a three from Tay Smith and two free throws from Junior Hodnett.
• UNC Pembroke fought back, going on a 22-8 run to make it a 5-point Bears lead with 7:00 left in regulation.
• Julian Dozier and Hantz Louis-Jeune each hit big layups to keep the Braves at bay, but they kept pushing, making it a one-point game with 38 seconds remaining.
• Following an LR shot clock violation, UNC Pembroke was fouled with 0.9 seconds remaining and went 1-2 at the line, sending the game into overtime.
• Wells came up big in overtime, scoring the Bear first four points.
• Two Luczynski free throws gave LR a 74-73 lead before Cerda hit the biggest shot of his career to put the Bears up three with just over a minute remaining.
• Lenoir-Rhyne forced two misses in the final minute and held on for the monumental victory.

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Tournament MVP Conrad Luczynski led the team with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double.
• Joining him in double-figures was Junior Hodnett (14), Ziare Wells (13), Tay Smith (12), and Julian Dozier (11). 
• Luczynski had all six Bear blocks on the night.
• The score was tied five times and there were four lead changes in the game.
• Lenoir-Rhyne shot 27-61 (44.3%) from the field, 6-20 (30%) from three, and 16-24 (66.7%) from the free throw line.
• UNC Pembroke was also 27-61 (44.3%) from the field, 5-21 (23.8%) from three and 15-27 (55.6%) from the charity stripe.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Lenoir-Rhyne snapped UNC Pembroke's 14-game winning streak with the win.
• The Bears are now on a nine-game winning streak.
• This marks the first regional championship any Bear team has won this year.
• Lenoir-Rhyne is now 5-6 all-time against the Braves, with this being their first win since November of 2015.
• The Bears were the only 3-seed to advance to the Elite Eight.
• Brent Owen will be back in the Elite Eight for the first time since he was an assistant at Southern Indiana in 2019.

UP NEXT: The Bears were one of eight schools to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight next week. Those schools include Lenoir-Rhyne, West Liberty, Dallas Baptist, Nova Southeastern, Washburn, Assumption, Lake Superior State, and Cal State Dominguez Hills. These final eight teams will be reseeded tomorrow afternoon, during which time LR will find out their opponent and game time. All tournament games will take place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. More information will come out in the coming days.