LANGSTON, Okla. – The William Carey Men's Basketball Team season came to an end, as they fell to Central Baptist (Ark.) 97-82 in the First Round of the NAIA National Championship Friday afternoon at the C.F. Gayles Field House.
 
"A sluggish start but we fought back to make it close at the half," said Head Coach Steve Knight. "We finally got it going in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but they came roaring back while we just hit the wall. They are a solid team and a tough matchup. Proud of our guys for a good season."
 
After trading baskets to open the game, the Mustangs jumped out to an 8-2 lead after three minutes of play. A pair of free throws by Makeem Roberts broke the run and after a layup by CBC, Zandon Haralson put WCU within three at 10-7 a minute later.
 
However, Central Baptist answered, going on an 8-2 run over a three-minute span to open a nine-point advantage. Carey again though broke the run on six straight points by Dylan Brumfield to get back with three points at 18-15 with under thirteen to play.
 
For the third time in the half, the Mustangs jumped back out to a comfortable lead behind a 13-7 run before going on to take a 43-32 lead with five minutes left in the half. The final minutes of the half saw the Crusaders battle to within six points on multiple occasions only to see CBC answer each time until Brumfield closed the half with three consecutive free throws to make it 51-46.
 
The Crusaders came out of the break and quickly cut the lead to one on a 6-2 run with points by Roberts and Randarius Hughes with Ashton Campbell giving WCU their first lead of the game on a layup with seventeen minutes to play.
 
Over the next four minutes, both teams went back and forth with Carey going on to take their biggest lead of the game at 63-57 with 12 minutes remaining on a Brown layup. However, the Mustangs outscored the Crusaders 26-10 over the next eight minutes to pull away for good and advance to the Second Round of the NAIA National Championship.
 
Dylan Brumfield led the Crusaders with 28 points. Cam Brown and Makeem Roberts each added 12 points with Zandon Haralson finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
WCU ends the season with an overall record of 19-11 and a 10-7 mark in conference play.