Kansas City, Mo. (March 17) — In the first semifinal of the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship on March 17, the No. 1 College of Idaho narrowly defeated No. 7 OUAZ (Ariz.) 73-72 in an exciting game. Although OUAZ made a late push, College of Idaho held on to their lead and emerged victorious.[Box Score]
Charles Elzie led the way for College of Idaho with 21 points, including 17 in the second half. He shot 7-of-11 from the field, and went 6-of-14 from the free-throw line. Elzie also grabbed two rebounds and dished out one assist in the game. – Read more: Day 3: 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship; College of Idaho dominants
Samaje Morgan had 12 points, four steals, and two assists, Drew Wyman finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and one block the Yotes, while Caden Handran supported with six points, seven rebounds, and one steal in a balanced team effort on the day. Tyler Robinett and Jake O’Neil both had eight points.
Meanwhile, OUAZ’s top performer was Josiah De’laCerda, who scored 28 points, collected 10 rebounds, and had two steals. Alex Villi had 17 points and Kolten Hitt contributed 15 points and three steals.
Other useful contributions came from Keshawn Bruner, who finished with seven points, four assists, and two steals, and Devin Collins chipped in with five rebounds and four assists in the win.
OUAZ shot 20-55 from the field and 9-33 from beyond the arc, making 23-30 free throws, collecting 27 rebounds, and committing 12 turnovers.
Meanwhile, College of Idaho shot 24-53 from the field and 4-16 from three-point range. They made 21-39 free throws, collected 44 rebounds, and committed 13 turnovers.
OUAZ scored 18 points off turnovers, had 12 assists, and made five steals. They scored five second-chance points, two fast break points, and had five bench points.
College of Idaho scored 13 points off turnovers, had nine assists, and made eight steals. They scored seven second-chance points, four fast break points, and had 23 bench points.
