Posted: Mar 05, 2015
2015 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
#7-seed Central Methodist (20-11) at #2-seed Benedictine (23-7)
Thursday, March 5 - 7 p.m. CT
Atchison, Kan. - Ralph Nolan Gymnasium
Live Video and Stats: CMUEagles.com
Twitter: @cmueagles
FAYETTE, Mo. - No. 7-seed Central Methodist travels to No. 2-seed and 16th-ranked Benedictine (Kan.) for the 2015 Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday inside Ralph Nolan Gymnasium at 7 p.m. CT.
Fans not travelling to Atchison, Kan., can follow the game via live video and statistics online and through updates on Central Methodist's Twitter account (@cmueagles).�
Tickets for all HAAC Tournament games are $6 for adults, $5 for faculty or staff and $2 for students.�
The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal contest advances to the semifinals Saturday at 7 p.m. to face the winner of No. 3-seed Missouri Valley/No. 6-seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.). The highest remaining seed will host the semifinal game.
The Ravens rank fourth in NAIA Division I in scoring defense per game (60.9), eighth in rebound defense (31.2) and field goal percentage defense (0.388), 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (0.388), 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (0.311), 16th in blocks (109) and 18th in 3-pointers made (233) and field goal percentage (0.469). Jallen Messersmith ranks second in blocks (67). Jake Schannuth is fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (0.481),while Brett Fisher is 25th (0.428). John Harris Jr. ranks 49th in assists (97).
Harris Jr. was a 2015 All-HAAC first team pick. Messersmith was the lone repeat winner among this season's individual honorees as he was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Messersmith led the conference in blocked shots for the third-straight season (2.2) to go along with 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds.
Central Methodist Notes
Central Methodist was the only team to sweep Benedictine during the regular-season and is the only team to pull off the feat in the last two seasons. In the two wins, the Eagles shot 27-of-45 at the free throw line, while the Ravens were just 5-of-6. Benedictine committed 32 turnovers compared to just 19 by the Green and Black. The Eagles generated 18 steals, including six by Cody Anderson, compared to just six by the Ravens.
Scott Stegeman scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in Tuesday's defeat of No. 10-seed Graceland (Iowa), 78-70 in the HAAC Tournament first round.�
Tuesday's triumph over the Yellowjackets gave Central Methodist its 20th all-time 20-win season and first since 2009-10, the last time the Eagles reached the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship.
Stegeman averaged 13.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in two wins over the Ravens in the regular-season.
Coach Jeff Sherman is three wins shy of the 550 plateau, which only six active NAIA Division I head coaches have surpassed.
The Eagles and Ravens last faced each other in the HAAC Tournament quarterfinals on Feb. 28, 2013, which ended in an 81-69 win in Fayette for Sherman's squad. The previous postseason meeting was in the quarterfinals Feb. 22, 2007, a 65-63 Ravens' win in Atchison.
The Eagles are searching for their first road win in the HAAC Tournament since an 82-79 semifinals victory at No. 3-seed William Jewell (Mo.) on Feb. 22, 2002. The Eagles went on the road two days prior and defeated No. 2-seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 71-63 in the quarterfinals.
Mitchell Farr was named to the 2015 All-HAAC second team Sunday, while junior guard Mike McCode and Stegeman, a sophomore forward, were honorable mention picks.
Farr passed Doug Widhalm and Brent Beckmann for 31st on the school's all-time scoring list Tuesday and now has 1,063 points in just two seasons for the Green and Black.
Central Methodist leads NAIA Division I in assists (525) and ranks fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), fifth in assists per game (16.9), seventh in 3-pointers made (260), 10th in scoring offense (2469), 14th in rebound offense (1193), 17th in rebound margin (4.4), 20th in offensive rebounds per game (12.8), scoring margin (9.8) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (0.316), 23rd in steals (250) and 26th in 3-point field goal percentage (0.368).
Anderson ranks second in NAIA Division I in assist/turnover ratio (3.4) and 28th in assists (109). Farr is 12th in 3-pointers made (82) and 26th in scoring (503).
Stegeman is 17th in offensive rebounds per game (3.1) and 18th in rebounds (238).
The Eagles are 12-3 when Quinten Hunter scores 12 or more points in a contest.
Central Methodist is 18-6 when making at least 10 free throws in a game.
McCode has scored in double figures in 17 of the last 20 games.
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