(April 5) -- Gannon used a dominant defensive performance in the first half to take control of the national championship game and went on to win its first title with a dominant 84-61 win over Lander at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

#3 Gannon 84, #5 Lander 61
Gannon entered the championship game as the third-highest scoring team in NCAA Division II, but it was the Golden Knights' defense that set the tone in the title contest, holding Lander to below 30 percent from the field in the first half to build a 16-point lead and went on to claim its first national title as a result.

The Golden Knights (34-3) got 28 points from the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Pace Prosser, as they went 11-of-27 from three-point range and held the Bearcats (30-6) to a 36.4 percent mark overall from the field and four-of-15 from beyond the arc. Gannon -- in its second Elite Eight appearance in three years after a three-win season in 2022-23 -- had three others in double figures as it made 46.3 percent of its shots from the floor.

Dylon Canoville led Lander -- playing in its first-ever national championship game -- with 14 points.

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS:

#3 Gannon 98, #7 Oklahoma Baptist 80
After leading by six at the half, Gannon used an offensive burst in the second half to break free of Oklahoma Baptist and advance to the national championship game for the second time in school history. OBU was within three early in the second half, but the Golden Knights outscored the Bison 11-3 over the next four minutes and followed it with a 10-2 run later in the half to seize control.

Lucas Morgan scored a career-high 28 points and Mackenzie Morgan added 20 for the Golden Knights, while the Bison (31-4) were paced by Seth Grandberry with 22 points and Christian Hodge with 20. Gannon hit 11 three-pointers in the win to just five for Oklahoma Baptist.

#5 Lander 91, #1 Nova Southeastern 81
Lander held the Sharks to their lowest point total in a half all season as it took an 11-point lead to the locker room, then held off a couple of pushes by Nova Southeastern over the final 20 minutes to punch its ticket to Indianapolis. The Bearcats held the Sharks (31-2) to a 32.6 percent mark from the field and to two-of-16 from three-point range to pick up the victory.

Greyson Pritzl -- the only player in the Elite Eight to score at least 20 points in both of his team's contests -- had a game-high 25 to lead a contingent of five Lander players in double figures. Nova Southeastern also had five in double figures, led by Ryan Davis and Jaxon Nap with 17 apiece.

NATIONAL QUARTERFINALS:

#3 Gannon 75, #6 Michigan Tech 48
Gannon is known best for its offense -- which ranks third in NCAA Division II in scoring -- but it was the defense of the Golden Knights that pushed them to the semifinals. Gannon held Michigan Tech to 28.6 percent shooting and the Huskies' top scorer, Marcus Tomashek, to a season-low five points to advance in the tournament. The Golden Knights also forced 16 Michigan Tech turnovers along the way.

Pace Prosser led Gannon with 19 points and Precious Idiaru added 17, as the Golden Knights built a 17-point lead by halftime and cruised to their 32nd win of the season. Dawson Nordgaard led the Huskies (29-7) with 12 points and Nate Abel added 11.

#7 Oklahoma Baptist 78, #2 Cal State East Bay 55
Eight minutes into the game, Cal State East Bay held a 17-12 lead over Oklahoma Baptist -- but the tables turned in a hurry as an 18-2 run by the Bison swung the momentum and allowed OBU to become the first team ever from the state of Oklahoma to advance to the national semifinals. A 12-1 run for OBU closed the half and put the lead into double figures for good as the Pioneers were held to a 26 percent shooting mark from the field.

Jackson Greene paced the Bison with 23 points and Terry Coner Jr. added 17, while Jaayden Bush was the only CSU East Bay player to finish in double figures with 17. The loss was the first of the season for the Pioneers (33-1), who entered the game as the last undefeated men's team in the nation at any level. IT marked the second straight season that the No. 2 seed at the Elite Eight was eliminated in the quarterfinal round.

#1 Nova Southeastern 76, #8 Black Hills State 66
After building a 12-point advantage in the first half and watching it get dwindled to two with less than 10 minutes remaining, Nova Southeastern used a 9-0 run to regain control of matters and keep its drive for back-to-back national championships intact with its win over Black Hills State. The Sharks were held to a 36.9 percent mark from the field, but went 23-of-34 at the free throw line to hold off the Yellowjackets (30-5).

Ross Reaves, the leading scorer among all players at the Elite Eight, led four Sharks in double figures with 31 points in the contest. Black Hills State, making its third Elite Eight appearance in five years got 19 points from BJ Woodruff.

#5 Lander 77, #4 Daemen 74
Lander edged Daemen in the final contest of the night thanks to big second halves from Greyson Pritzl and Navaughn Maise to reach its first ever national semifinal. Pritzl hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions with under six minutes to play to put the Bearcats on top for good, then Lander held off Daemen on its final possession with a chance to tie or win the game.

Pritzl led Lander with 20 points and Maise ended the game with 16, while Daemen's Benjamin Bill led all scorers with 27 points. The Wildcats finished the season at 33-2 as its 13-game winning streak came to an end.

-

The Elite Eight continues Friday at the UPMC Cooper Field House, with the NCAA Division II championship game will be played on Sunday, April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in conjunction with the Final Four.