MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Three Southern States Athletic Conference teams advanced to Saturday’s NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship Second Round, while two others saw their season end. 
Faulkner, Dalton State and William Carey will compete in the Second Round for with a trip to the Round of 16 on the line.
 
Up Next
Saturday | 2 pm CST | #12 Faulkner v. #4 Columbia
Saturday | 4 pm EST | #5 William Carey v. #4 Cumberlands
Saturday | 4 pm EST | #10 Dalton State v. #2 Indiana Wesleyan
 
#5 William Carey def. #12 Xavier 88-87

• XULA led 85-76 with 2:21 left, but WCU closed the game on a 12-2 run, grabbing the lead with 13 seconds to go on a 3-pointer from Troy Dunn
• WCU got 18 points and 10 boards from Randarius Hughes and 15 points and three steals from Jamar Jenkins
• The Crusaders forced 20 turnovers and Xavier hit only 63% from the FT line

 
#10 Dalton State def. #7 Shawnee State 81-71

• The Roadrunners knocked down 17-of-23 from the FT line and hit 6-of-14 triples
• Qualen Pettus finished with 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting, while Omarion Smith added 25 points and 11 rebounds

 
#12 Faulkner def. #5 Pikeville 69-68

• KJ Rogers led Faulkner with 16 points and six assists, while Tanner Vogel had 10 points and 14 boards
• Faulkner won the rebounding battle 41-29 and held Pikeville to 27% shooting from 3-point range
• The Eagles went ahead for good with 2:32 to play on a Jordyn Turner-Durley 3-pointer, making it 65-63

 
#9 Bethel def. #8 Loyola 74-71

• Kameron Johnson had 17 points and six boards for Loyola, while Jaylen Peters finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks
• Bethel shot 80% from the FT line and committed only six turnovers

 
#6 Bethel def. #11 Life 75-62

• Shane Stevensen led Life with 22 points and nine rebounds, shooting 11-of-18 from the field
• Bethel shot 7-of-19 from 3-point range and 20-of-33 from the FT line, compared to 3-of-19 and 11-of-21 for Life