The Langston Lions kept their hopes of a national championship alive following an 81-64 win over Southern Oregon in the first round of the NAIA tournament.
Langston’s win comes despite leading scorer Tristan Harper shooting 1-for-9 from the field. He still managed to finish with 11 points in the game.
Harper was one of four players to score in double figures for the Lions. Leading the way for Langston was Cortez Mosley who scored 16 points and shot an efficient 7-of-10 from the field.
Another One … 🦁🔥
Cortez Mosley – 16 pts
AJ Rainey – 13 pts
Tristan Harper – 11 pts
James Ellis – 10 pts#goLions #FeartheRoar #NAIAMBB #BattleForTheRedBanner pic.twitter.com/esqrKqx0gg— Langston Athletics (@LangstonSports) March 8, 2023
Elsewhere, AJ Rainey scored 13 points and James Ellis came off the bench to chip in 10 points.
Langston got off to a slow start in this game, finding themselves trailing 13-8 with 12:40 remaining in the first half.
The Lions quickly turned the game in their favor going on an 11-3 run to take their first lead and would hold it for the remainder of the game. They led by as many as 23 points at one point.
Langston will advance to face either Southwestern (Kan.) or Northwestern (Iowa) in the second round.
