BUTTE — The Montana Tech men are one victory away from booking a trip to Kansas City for the second straight season.
Asa Williams scored a team-high 18 points and Caleb Bellach added 14 as the third-seeded Orediggers built a three-point halftime lead over No. 14 Wayland Baptist University and then pulled away in the second half for a 75-67 victory in opening round of the NAIA men's basketball championship on Friday evening at the HPER Complex.
Tech (26-4 overall) is now slated to take on Lewis-Clark State in the second round game on Saturday at 6 p.m. with the winner of that contest heading to the Round of 16 in Kansas City.
The No. 11 Warriors upset No. 6 Hope International College 93-77 in the earlier first-round game.
This will be the second time this season that LC State and Tech will play at the HPER this season, with the Orediggers posting a 79-55 victory over the Warriors on Nov. 17 during the Montana Tech Fall Classic.
Keeley Bake added 9 points for Tech and Ifeanyi Okeke scored 8 while pulling down a team-high 7 rebounds.
Wayland Baptist was led by a game-high 19 point from Quentin Coleman, 14 from D'Michael Bellfield, 13 from Meikkel Murray and 12 from Tahjae Hill. The Pioneers, which finished fourth in the Sooner Athletic Conference, conclude their season at 21-10 overall.
