Danville, IL – Ancilla College returns to the National Junior College Athletic Association Men's Basketball Division II National Tournament for the second time in three years. In 2019, the Chargers went in as the 12th seeded and finished eighth in the 16-team field.
This year the Chargers are the fifth seed and will play the 12 seeded Southern Arkansas Tech University (SAU) at 2 p.m. eastern on Wednesday at the Mary Miller Center in Danville. The tournament begins with six games on Tuesday. First round losers will go into a single elimination round for seventh place. Second round losers will play for fifth place. The championship is Saturday night.
"Heading back to the tournament is so exciting. We have a good team and I am excited to see how well we can do," said Brian Pearison, Ancilla's head coach. "Coming in as the fifth seed is a reversal of where we started two years ago when we were the 12th seed. However, in this type of tournament, seeding often does not matter much. You have to come ready to play every game."
Southern Arkansas brings a 17-4 over record into the game and is currently on an eight game winning streak. Freshman Allen Taylor, a 6-2 forward, leads the Rockets (17-4) with 14 points a game, with 6-1 guard Donovan Vickers, also a freshman, averages 13 points, while 6-10 sophomore center Treyon Johnson is pushing through almost 12 points a game. They also have a capable bench.
Ancilla has six players averaging in double figures and each one has led the teams in scoring at one point this season. Freshman Jakylen Thomas, usually Ancilla's sixth man, leads the Chargers with 18.7 points a game followed by Cortney Shorter (12.4), Marco Beverly (11.9), Caleb Brown (11.9), Brock Cosey (10.6) and Rico Swanson, Jr. (10.1). Ancilla can bring some sharpshooters off the bench with Brady Powers, Jalen Fountain and Keith Rupert all being very capable three-point shooters. Shak Johnson provides defense and rebounding and is a determined scorer under the basket, as the Chargers often play 10 players.
With Wednesday being their first game, Ancilla could play four straight days.
By the Numbers
Ancilla College Southwestern Arkansas
100.9 Points per Game 82.1
78.1 Points Allowed 74.6
22.1 Points Margin 7.5
49.5% Field Goal% 46.5%
39.7% 3- point Field Goal% 34.5%
67.5% Free Throw% 64.4%
42.5 Rebounds% 44.4%
21.7 Assists% 19.9%
13-1 Record 17-4
7-1 Home 12-1
6-0 Away 5-2
0-0 Neutral 0-1
Lost 1 Streak Won 8
