VALLEJO, Calif. - The men's basketball squad captured its first-ever California Pacific Conference Tournament championship tonight as they took down Northern New Mexico 79-75.
Simpson jumped out to the early 6-0 lead on buckets by
Timothy Parker,
Jack Jillson, and
Nian Allen.
The Red Hawks held total control in the first half as they never relinquished the lead and grew their largest lead of the game to 14 points on a pair of free throws by Parker with a minute-and-a-half left in the first half. A layup by Parker to conclude the first half gave the Red Hawks the 46-37 lead into halftime.
Parker had a big first half as he posted a team-high 16 points, while Allen added 10 points.
Aidan Rolfs had a huge first half as he brought down 11 rebounds.
The Red Hawks suffered a scoreless four and a half minute drought to begin the second half before a layup from
Dylan Harms got Simpson back on the scoreboard. But the Eagles took advantage as they pulled within three, 48-45, following a three-pointer by Ja'kwon Hill.
Two huge three-point plays by Jillson helped anchor a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 13 points as they led 58-45.
The Simpson defense prevailed as they knocked down three key free throws at the end of the game by Jillson and Parker to preserve the four-point victory.
Parker had a monster game as he posted 32 points while shooting 14-20 from the floor.
Jillson and Allen rounded out the double-digit performances as they combined for 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Rolfs led the Red Hawks' defense with 18 rebounds to go along with seven points.
With the win, Simpson advances to the NAIA National Tournament as the opening round begins March 13th in a single-elimination four-team tournament. The unveiling of where the Red Hawks play next will be on March 5th on YouTube:
YouTube.com/PlayNAIA
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