NCAA Division II Basketball Championship: Western Washington Tops Montevallo

As a prelude to Elite Eight weekend, the Division II Championship was decided on Saturday afternoon and the Western Washington Vikings took home their first title in school history, a history that includes 110 years of basketball. WWU defeated Montevallo 72-65 in a game that went down to the final minute, with the Vikings hitting their free-throws and getting stops to keep it a two-possession game and clinch the title.

DJ Rivera and Antoine Davis kept the Falcons close but Montevallo could never quite pull it even after WWU went on a run mid way through the second half. Rivera finished with a game-high 20 points but was just one of six from downtown. Davis added 16 points on six of nine from the floor but other than Rivera, he had little help on the offensive end. The Western Washington defense stepped up over the final five minutes, forcing a series of empty possessions for Montevallo and sealing the school’s first title

While the men’s Division I NCAA Tournament won’t conclude until a week from Monday, a national title will be settled in Division II on Saturday. The Western Washington Vikings take on the Montevallo Falcons in the DII Championship Game, which both schools are appearing in for the first time in their history.

Western Washington defeated Stonehill 71-66 in their semifinal game on Thursday, building an early lead and holding off their opponents. Montevallo had to go through the defending champions to get to the title game and defeated Bellarmine 79-72 in their semifinal.