Score: No. 19 Keiser Seahawks 78, No. 9 William Woods Owls 72
Records: Keiser (26-5), William Woods (29-3)
Location: Student Life Center - West Palm Beach, Fla.
Keiser Starters: Calvin Sirmans (G), Albert Dennis (G), Cameron Stitt (F), Chris Roth (G), Vincent Miszkiewicz (F)
WWU Starters: Henry Shannon III (F), D'Mari Wiltz (G), Kevin Taylor (G), Tre Titus (G), Francis Okwuosah (F)

No. 19 Keiser men's basketball showed out in their final game at home this season, defeating the No. 9 William Woods Owls in the NAIA Second Round, 78-72. The Seahawks were led by Calvin Sirmans for most of the night as he finished with 24 points and six assists. Tyreon Payne came along late for Keiser, scoring 21 of his team-leading 25 in the second half alone. Payne also recorded a season-high six steals in the game. The always reliable Vincent Miszkiewicz battled through double teams all night to earn a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double. The Seahawks defense played a huge part in the win, holding the Owls 13 points below their season average in scoring.

With the win, Keiser will fly to the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, which is the final site of this year's NAIA National Championship Tournament. The Seahawks will take on Southern Oregon on Friday, March 21 at 3:00 p.m. CST.


With 1:32 to play, Keiser got their own rebound on four consecutive shots, wiping over a minute off the clock before Sirmans was sent to the line to put the Seahawks up by four.
 

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Keiser 39, William Woods 38

• Keiser led the game after a slow first quarter with a fast break dunk by Albert Dennis putting the Seahawks up by a point, 10-9, with 13:19 to play in the first
• The Owls would get back in front with 8:03 to play after an and-1 layup by D'Mari Wiltz made it 22-21
• The Seahawks would pull away as Calvin Sirmans got going with seven points in a 12-4 run to make it 33-26 with 4:22 showing
• With both teams in foul trouble early, the two sides would spend plenty of time at the free throw line in the final minutes as William Woods cut the deficit to two going into the break

Keiser 78, William Woods 72

• The two sides would trade baskets over the first five minutes of the second as William Woods tied the game at 48 with 15:05 to play
• Vincent Miszkiewicz and Tyreon Payne would combine for nine straight points for the Seahawks as they began to separate themselves
• The Owls would immediately counter with eight straight to bring the score to 57-56 KU with 10:13 remaining
• Once again it was a back-and-forth game with four ties in the next five minutes as both teams looked for a breakthrough
• For the Seahawks, it came with Payne who made his next two jumpers and a free throw to bring the score to 73-70 with 1:39 on the clock
• With 1:32 on the clock, a crucial turnover by Witlz gave the Seahawks the ball back up by three
• Keiser missed four straight shots but got the offensive rebound four straight times before Sirmans was fouled and sent to the line with 24 seconds left
• Sirmans and Payne would go 5-of-6 down the stretch and secure the win for the Seahawks, 78-72

  

• Keiser improves to 26-5 with the win
• The Seahawks move to 15-13 in the NAIA postseason and are now 5-2 in the second round
• KU will head to the NAIA final site for the first time since the 2015-16 season
• Payne led all players with 25 points in the game including 21 points in the second half
• He shot 7-of-12 from the field in the second including a 6-of-8 mark from the free throw line
• Sirmans finished just behind him in scoring with 24 points on the evening
• The second-year guard tallied six assists on the night and was 12-of-13 from the charity stripe
• The two guards also combined for nine of the 10 steals by the Seahawks on the night
• Down low, Miszkiewicz was fighting through double teams but still managed 10 points and 13 rebounds
• On the defensive end, he finished with four blocks as he continues to lead the NAIA in the category
• With much of the team in foul trouble, Jackson Slater and Jonathan Paul provided 22 minutes each to help the effort
• Overall, the defense held William Woods well below their scoring average of 85.6 points per game
• The 72 points scored are tied for the third fewest this season for the Owls
• Teams were also scoring just an average of 62.1 points against them this season on a night where Keiser scored 78
• The Seahawks forced the Owls to 20 turnovers on the evening, tying the second most this season for William Woods

 

• Ties: 13
• Lead Changes: 18
• Largest Lead: Keiser (9); William Woods (4)

With the win, Keiser will fly to the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri which is the final site of this year's NAIA National Championship Tournament. The Seahawks will take on the winner of The Master's vs Southern Oregon with a date and time to be determined.
 

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