The Langston Lions survive and advance in the NAIA Men’s Basketball Tournament, overcoming a late rally by Rocky Mountain to win 60-55 in the Elite Eight.
This is Langston’s second-ever appearance in the Fab Four of the NAIA tournament (2024) and the third appearance in the career of head coach Chris Wright (led Talladega to NAIA National Championship game in 2022).
Orlando Thomas once again led the Lions in scoring, knocking in a game-high 14 points, hitting 9-of-10 free throw attempts, and snagging three steals.
Through Langston’s first four tournament games, Thomas is averaging 19.8 points per game, including 20+ point games in his first three contests. He has combined for 21-of-25 shooting from the free-throw line in the last two games.
Langston forward Jay Wilson anchored the second unit with 12 points on 60% shooting, breaking an 11-game streak without a double-digit scoring game (last coming on February 7).
The first six minutes of this contest were a defensive power struggle with both teams combining for just eight points on 4-of-24 shooting.
After breaking through the scoring drought, finding themselves trailing 17-12 with 4:29 left in the first half, the Lions finished on a 13-5 run to take a three-point advantage into the locker room.
Facing the 15th-ranked three-point shooting team in the country, Langston defended Rocky Mountain well outside the arc, holding them to 1-of-11 shooting in the first half.
Their run at the end of the first half carried over into the second, beginning on an 8-0 run to take a game-high 11-point lead.
Langston would maintain a significant lead for the remainder of the second half until the final minutes, when Rocky Mountain went on a late rally sparked by a three-point barrage.
Rocky Mountain guard Omari Nesbit went on a hot streak, hitting three three-pointers in the final two minutes to trim what was a 10-point lead down to two points.
After Langston hit two free throws to bring the lead back to a two-possession advantage, Nesbit went for a fourth three-pointer to bring his team’s deficit back down to one point, but was fouled on the shot attempt, sending him to the free-throw line for three shots.
Though he would miss the first free throw, he made the next two to bring it back to a one-possession game.
Rocky Mountain would intentionally foul Thomas, splitting the two attempts, keeping the game within reach.
A shot to tie the game was well off the mark, and Langston would close out the win with a pair of free throws.
The Lions will be back in action on Monday, looking to secure a spot in the NAIA National Championship game when they face Ave Maria.
