NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Adrian College men's basketball team was noted as the underdogs all season. The team was projected to come in last place in the MIAA and shocked the conference with a tournament win to pick up an automatic bid to the national stage. The Bulldogs were tasked with the top-25 ranked North Central Cardinals. The Bulldogs were held up by North Central in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

THE BASICS

Final: Adrian 54, North Central 69

Location: Naperville, Ill. (Merner Field House)

Records: Adrian 17-12, North Central 22-5

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half started as a defensive battled as the first two points of the game were scored with just under two minutes played in the game. The Bulldogs then fell behind early by a score of 9-2. Adrian came back on a jumper by Ke'Shaun Wyatt-Morris to trail by four. 

Jordan Harris made a layup and a three-pointer from Jeremy Kalonji put the Bulldogs behind North Central at 22-16. With four minutes remaining in the first half, Robert Warrick was fouled to go to the line to shoot three free throws. Warrick made two of three but North Central led 32-22. Harris made a layup at the buzzer to bring the score to 37-26.

The Bulldogs came out with multiple opportunities to score, but the shots didn't fall. North Central went on the take a 19-point lead, but Adrian continued to battle and brought the deficit back to 11. The Bulldogs were unable to bring the game any closer and was sent home from the tournament early after a 69-54 loss. 

The Bulldogs graduate seniors Devin Laird, Ke'Shaun Wyatt-Morris, and Jeremy Kalonji. In the post game interview, head coach Kyle Lindsay stated that he was proud of his seniors and sees them living a life of great success as young men, employees, fathers, and husbands.

The Bulldogs finish the remarkable season with a MIAA Tournament Championship win and the first appearance to the NCAA Tournament in school history. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 17-12 record.