Benedictine University Mesa Men's Basketball is headed to Kansas City, Missouri, for the NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament Round of 16 after winning both their first and second-round matchups.
In the opening round, the Redhawks defeated No. 9 Southwestern College (Kan.) 61–58, thanks to a last-second three-pointer from
Malik Payton. In round two, BENU upset the No. 1 overall seed and host team, Nelson University (Texas), earning a 99–94 victory behind a standout 30-point performance from
Damian Zivak.
The Redhawks will now travel to Kansas City to face No. 12 Faulkner University (Ala.) on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. PST. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Faulkner enters the matchup with a 22–9 record, while Benedictine Mesa stands at 26–6. The winner will advance to the quarterfinal round to face either No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan or No. 3 Hope International.
Key Players – Benedictine Mesa
- Isaiah Howard – A transfer from LSU Alexandria, Howard was named GSAC Newcomer of the Year and earned All-Conference honors. He averages 14.3 points per game and ranks third in the conference with 3.9 assists per contest.
- Eric Blackwell – A transfer from Menlo College, Blackwell earned GSAC All-Conference recognition and leads the conference in three-point shooting with an impressive .510 percentage.
Key Players – Faulkner University
- KL Rogers – Leads the team with 907 total points, averaging 15.6 per game, and also leads the Eagles in assists with 90 on the season.
- Jordyn Turner-Durley – The team's second-leading scorer with 895 total points, averaging 10.9 per game.
