On the biggest stage of their season so far, Benedictine Mesa men's basketball delivered a commanding, resilient, and at times electrifying performance on Saturday afternoon, defeating Nelson (Texas) 99–94 to advance to the NAIA National Championship Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Missouri. First Half:
After trailing 2–0 early, the Redhawks found their rhythm behind Khari Dunn, whose jumper at 17:57 tied the game at 2–2 and opened the floodgates. A moment later, Damian Zivak drilled a three, and Isaiah Howard followed with another from deep to give Benedictine its first lead at 8–7.

From that point onward, Benedictine hit Nelson with a suffocating combination of defense and transition scoring.

Malik Payton was everywhere — recording a steal, a layup, and an assist during a momentum-swinging stretch that turned a narrow 10–9 lead into a 14–9 advantage. The Redhawks' bench then added immediate impact as Luis Marin checked in and scored on a layup off a Howard assist.

Moments later, the Redhawks hit Nelson with the run of the night.

Over a six-minute span, Benedictine piled up stops, steals, and three-pointers:

• Howard drained three more triples, including deep shots at 10:59 and 9:51.
• Eric Blackwell caught fire, hitting back-to-back threes and finishing a contested layup.
• Zivak splashed another three to push the lead to 38–22.
• The defense held Nelson to one field goal over a decisive stretch.

By halftime, Benedictine led 57–37, thanks to a remarkable 40-point surge after trailing 2–0. Second Half:
Nelson attempted to claw back multiple times in the second half, but every charge was met by a Redhawk answer.

Early in the half, Payton scored in transition to restore momentum, and Dunn and Blackwell delivered key defensive rebounds to prevent second-chance opportunities.

When Nelson cut the lead to single digits twice, Benedictine responded with composure:

• Howard finished at the rim to extend the lead to 67–61.
• Zivak buried two more threes, including a dagger at 5:19 that put the Redhawks up 85–75.
• Blackwell added a corner three and later drained crucial free throws to maintain separation.

Even as Nelson hit late threes and converted at the line, Benedictine never cracked. The Redhawks went 12-for-15 at the free-throw line in the final two minutes, including tough makes from Howard, Blackwell, and Zivak to seal the win.

A final pair of free throws from Blackwell in the closing seconds pushed Benedictine to 99 points — their highest scoring output of the tournament.