Courtesy of GCAC communications
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Wednesday evening, in front of a revved-up crowd in New Orleans at Loyola, Tougaloo Bulldogs punched their ticket to the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship Round of 16 after defeating Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) 75-62. The win marks the 18th in a row for the Bulldogs.
The hotly contested matchup came on the heels of SAGU upsetting the No. 3 seed and NAIA defending champions Loyola (La.), and saw Tougaloo suffer an early, 12-point deficit in the first half. The Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run before Trajan Fielder pulled up and drained a three to pull Tougaloo within four (20-24). SAGU turned over the ball and Fielder’s hand stayed hot as he knocked down a jumper. On SAGU’s next possession, Darryl Jones tallied a blocked shot on SAGU’s Philbert Weekes and Fielder hit a transition three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 25-24 edge with 5:51 to play in the first half. Tougaloo ended the first stanza of play on a 11-6 run to take a 36-30 lead at the half.
The Bulldogs and Lions traded three-pointers to start the second half, and the Lions would pull within three (43-46), but Tougaloo stayed on top, knocking down three-pointers and cashing in on SAGU missed shots. Fielder nailed another three-pointer with 8:42 to play in the game to give the Bulldogs a 60-49 lead. Defensive pressure and second-chance points lifted Tougaloo in the final few minutes of the contest, and they sealed the 75-62 win to advance to the men’s Round of 16 in Kansas City, Mo.
Fielder led all scorers with 25 points, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs shot an impressive 40% in threes and 40% from the field for the game. SAGU’s Weekes and Tougaloo’s Darryl Jones snatched a game-high 14 rebounds each, while Cameron Copeland (Tougaloo) sparked the offense with a career-high 16 assists.
Tougaloo heads to Kansas City, Mo. for a matinee contest against No. 10 seed St. Thomas (Fla.) Monday, March 13. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CT. Tickets are available online and at the door. Media are invited to apply for credentials to cover the Bulldogs’ title run.