NCAA Division II Basketball Championship 2013: Drury defeats Metro State, 74-73

The Drury Panthers won the NCAA Men’s Division II Basketball Championship on Sunday by rallying to defeat the Metro State Roadrunners, 74-73.

The Roadrunners took a 12-point halftime lead, but a flurry of three-pointers by the Panthers allowed them to climb back into the game, and eventually take the lead with less than 10 minutes left. Metro State went back up by two possessions with less than four minutes left, but Drury finished the game on a 7-0 run, culminated by Alex Hall’s pair of free throws to give the Panthers the lead with 22.8 seconds remaining.

Metro State’s game-winning attempt on the final possession fell short, and Drury, which is located in Springfield, Mo., celebrated its first Division II championship.

Hall scored 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and a 7-of-9 effort from the free throw line to lead the Panthers. Brandon Lockhart added 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Drury shot 54.2 percent from the field and made 11-of-19 three-point attempts.

7,763 people showed up to watch the game at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., the largest figure for a Division II title game since 1971.

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