Norsemen win opener in nationals

March 19, 2008 01:10 am

— From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reggie Mathis scored a career-high 26 points and led the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen to a 78-65 win over the Shelton (Ala.) State Community College Buccaneers in the opening round of the NJCAA Division I Men’s National Championships at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The Norsemen (27-7) advance to Thursday’s second round where they will face the winner of Chipola (Fla.) and Seward County (Kan.) at 6:30 p.m. Shelton State (24-11) will take on the loser of the Chipola-Seward County contest in an elimination game.
Mathis, a 6-foot-3 sophomore shooting guard form Jenks, Okla., went 9-of-15 from the field and 8-of-8 from the foul line for his 26 points. He also ended with seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Dominique Gaines added 24 for NEO — going 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 from the line — while Cicero Gonzaga and Tulio Cobos chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Buccaneers were led by Brandon Williams’ 16 points while Lajay Sears and Jason Swanson added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
NEO led 37-31 at halftime and finished the night with a 41-38 advantage on the boards. Shelton State went 9-of-32 from 3-point range.
Salt Lake Community College opened action Tuesday in the 16-team tournament with a 65-61 victory over Vincennes. Brian Green led the winning Bruins with 15 points. Devin Dumes scored 21 for Vincennes, which led 25-23 at halftime.
Southeastern Illinois rallied past Paris (Texas) Junior College 63-57. Andree Wilson had 18 points for Southeastern Illinois, which trailed 29-27 at intermission. Eric Tramiel scored 15 for the Paris Dragons.
Missouri champion Three Rivers stopped Eastern Wyoming 83-70 behind a combined 40 points from Jeff McClain and Artem Valov.
McClain hit 7-of-8 shots from the field and 8-of-9 free throws for 22 points. Valov hit 6-of-11 shots and 6-7 free throws for 18 points. Casey Robinson had 20 points for the Eastern Wyoming Lancers.