Greenville, SC – Thursday night brought about some déjà vu for the Grace Christian University men's basketball team, as for the second straight season they were presented with the challenge of facing Bob Jones University at their home Davis Fieldhouse in the NCCAA DII National Tournament, this time in the Elite 8.  

The #2 seeded Tigers started slow, and the Bruins knocked down some shots early to build an 8 point lead and possessed all the momentum.  The Tigers would then gain their footing and played a pretty steady remainder of the half to carry a 33-28 advantage into the break.

Another slow start for the Tigers in the second half allowed the Bruins to recapture the lead at 40-39 just five minutes in.  At this point, the Tigers locked down on the defensive end to create some easy baskets for themselves and knocked down some outside shots to build a double digit lead and never looked back.  They went on to finish the game with a 74-52 victory.

Brandon Winchester-Jones (JR/Dowagiac Union HS) and Caleb Anderson (SR/Shelby HS) led the Tigers with 14 points each.  Winchester-Jones also led the Tigers in rebounds (6), assists (5), and steals (4).  Keoante Blackamore (JR/Dowagiac Union HS) provided a huge spark off the bench with 10 points, including two momentum-building fast break dunks in the second half.

For the sixth straight season, the Tigers have earned a spot in the NCCAA DII Final Four, this time facing a very familiar opponent in regional rival Johnson University (TN).  The game will tip-off at 7:30 pm Friday.

*Video* Post-game interviews with Keoante Blackamore and Head Coach Gary Bailey