SPRINGFIELD, Mass.–Findlay’s Tyler Evans made only one field goal in the 2009 NCAA, Division II Men’s Basketball Championship game Saturday, March 28 against Cal Poly Pomona.

He made it count.

Evans took an inbounds pass outside the three-point line with 2.4 seconds remaining in overtime, dribbled left and buried a step-back three-pointer from 26 feet as time expired, delivering the Oilers a 56-53 victory and their first national championship before 4,885 spectators.

The No. 1-ranked Oilers capped an undefeated season, becoming the first NCAA, Division II men’s champion to go 36-0 and the first to post a perfect record since Fort Hays State accomplished the feat going 34-0 in 1996.

The victory ended a remarkable run for the Broncos (25-8), who were making their first championship game appearance and were the Elite Eight’s only unranked team.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Oilers Head Coach Ron Niekamp. “It was a tough battle throughout. I give them (CPP) all the credit in the world. They played fantastic. They defended us well.”

“It hard to describe the feeling,” said Evans on his championship winner. “They defended the play great. It was essentially a catch and shoot play and I needed to dribble left to get some separation. It just went in. It was a tough play.”

Tournament Most Valuable Player Josh Bostic led the Oilers with 13 points, while all tournament selection Morgan Lewis added 12. Lee Roberts hit for nine points and eight rebounds, while Nathan Hyde and Marcus Parker chipped in with eight points each.

All tournament selection Larry Gordon led the Broncos with a game high 17 points and nine rebounds. Tobias Jahn added 14 points and eight boards while all tournament honoree Walter Thompson chipped in with nine points.

The game was a defensive struggle throughout. Findlay held a 30-20 lead at the break and led 36-22 with 16:26 to go in regulation, but the Broncos would eventually pull even thanks to a 13-0 run keyed by five points from Summers, two layups from Gordon and a three from Thompson that tied it at 38 with 7:08 remaining.

After Nathan Hyde followed with a jumper for a 40-38 Oiler lead, Gordon buried a trey for CPP’s first lead with 5:29 left.

A Morgan tip-in with 5:13 left put Findlay ahead by one (42-41) but the only points to come over the final 5:12 came from a free throw by Jahn that tied it with 1:42 to go.

The overtime period saw five ties and four lead changes with CPP forging ahead 51-48 after Gordon buried a layup with 2:42 left and added two from the line with 2:01 to go.

A Parker layup cut the Oiler deficit to 51-50 with 1:33 to go and Evans followed with one at the line to tie it with 56 seconds left.

Parker followed with a nifty inside move put the Oilers ahead by two with 24 seconds remaining, but Gordon answered with a 15 foot jumper with 13 seconds left.

NOTES: The extra session marked the first overtime championship since Kentucky Wesleyan topped Tennessee State in 1973 … It was the lowest scoring championship game since 1978 when Cheyney topped Green Bay, 47-40 in regulation … Findlay was the first top-ranked team to win the title since Kentucky Wesleyan in 1999 … Along with Findlay’s Bostic and Lewis, the all tournament team included Thompson and Gordon from Cal Poly-Pomona, and Sanijay Watts from Central Missouri.

(Source Elite Eight)