College of Idaho beats Oklahoma Wesleyan 93-65 for its 2nd NAIA championship in 3 years
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Samaje Morgan scored a season-high 28 points, Dougie Peoples had 21 points and five 3-pointers, and No. 1 seed College of Idaho beat seventh-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan 93-65 on Tuesday night to claim its second NAIA championship in three years.
College of Idaho (35-2) won the program's third national title, also securing the NAIA Division II championship in 1996 and a D-I title in 2023. The Yotes lost in the Fab Four last season.
Oklahoma Wesleyan (28-8) also won a NAIA D-II championship in 2009.
Johnny Radford made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to give the College of Idaho a 33-18 midway through the first half. The Yotes made 12 of their opening 15 shots, including 8 of 10 from 3-point range, while OKWU was 7 of 17 overall.
Peoples finished the first half with 17 points and five 3-pointers, and Morgan added 12 points as the College of Idaho led 49-29. The Yotes were 11 of 17 from 3-point range, while OKWU went 11 of 32 overall including 1 of 6 from distance.
It was the Yotes' second straight title game with a large lead, after nearly blowing a 23-point second-half advantage against Indiana Tech two years ago.
The Yotes were determined not to let another second-half lead evaporate against OKWU, which was not able to reduce its deficit below 16 points the entire second half.
Radford finished with 12 points for the College of Idaho and Tyler Robinett added 10. The Yotes finished 16 of 30 from behind the arc.
Nick Bene and Jaden Lietzke each scored 15 points for Oklahoma Wesleyan. Dylan Phillip, who scored a team-high 24 points on Monday, finished with five points in 19 minutes.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
15 hours ago
- Newsweek
Mercedes Team Boss Stands by Lewis Hamilton - 'Don't Ever Write Him Off'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has voiced support for his former driver Lewis Hamilton, who joined Ferrari this year. The seven-time world champion's journey with the Maranello outfit hasn't been a smooth one on many fronts thus far, leading many to question if Hamilton still has the racing prowess. However, Wolff emphasized, saying, "Don't ever write Lewis Hamilton off." The 40-year-old driver's move to Ferrari after 12 successful years with Mercedes meant he not only had to adapt to a new car but also to a new team, new location, and new language. While one would expect a world champion like Hamilton to get up to speed in no time, the complexities of the current ground effect cars also add to his challenge, especially considering his struggles at Mercedes since 2022, when the new era began. Hamilton has reportedly had no role in the development of the current Ferrari SF-25, making the task of adapting to the car more challenging. He has yet to secure his first Grand Prix podium finish with the red team, though his sprint race win at Shanghai cannot be dismissed. Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton rides a scooter in the paddock during previews ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, on June 12, 2025. Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton rides a scooter in the paddock during previews ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, on June 12, who celebrated eight Constructors' Championships with Hamilton and shares a friendly relationship with him, revealed the factors that are likely affecting the Ferrari driver. Speaking on the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast, Wolff explained how the start of the ground effect era in 2022 affected Hamilton and why he needs to be given more time to adapt to his new car and team. He said: "You don't unlearn driving that quickly. In 2021, he was great. Then the regulations changed, and it got a little more difficult, but he was still performing at a very high level. "Just by changing teams, suddenly you don't lose your skills. "Everybody needs a period of adaptation – different car, different DNA in how the vehicle drives, a new engineering team that you need to start working together. "Then you have to be involved in the continuous development of the car so it suits your driving style." Wolff highlighted the major cultural shift that had taken place for Hamilton and revealed a lesser-known pattern concerning him. He said: "It's an all-Italian team, and he's a British guy parachuted in there. And that takes time. "Also, we've seen a bit of a pattern that Lewis, at the beginning of the season, needs to find his mojo and the second half of the season has always been very strong. "So don't ever write Lewis Hamilton off."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
A new leadership group has reportedly been unveiled at Manchester City
With Kevin De Bruyne having left Manchester City for Napoli, and Kyle Walker's City career seemingly over, Manchester City will enter the FIFA Club World Cup and the 25/26 with a new group of leaders. There are several standout candidates to take the captain's armband in Pep Guardiola's squad. The case for either Rodri or Ruben Dias to be Manchester City's next captain is strong. The pair are leaders through their actions both on and off the pitch. Erling Haaland is developing into a leader in the new-look City squad. Bernardo Silva is a player who leads by example on the pitch. Now a new report indicates that all four players will form Manchester City's captaincy group for the beginning of a new era at the club. The four-man captaincy group at Manchester City has reportedly been revealed. CityXtra has relayed a report from X account FPLMaineRoad that Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland will be Manchester City's group of captains for the 25/26 season. CityXtra's report can be seen below. Manchester City's new leadership group covers all bases. Looking at the reported choices for Manchester City's captaincy group, all bases are covered in terms of leadership styles and the age of the four players. Bernardo Silva is one of the senior members of Pep Guardiola's squad. With his work rate and ability to play in any role that is asked of him, he is a player who leads by example. Advertisement Rodri and Ruben Dias are in the prime years of their careers. Since arriving at Manchester City from Benfica, Ruben Dias has firmly established himself as Manchester City's defensive leader. Through his actions and play, Dias makes his teammates walk taller when on the pitch. His selection in City's captaincy group is a no-brainer. Rodri holds a similar standing to that of Ruben Dias in the Manchester City squad. Although Rodri is still working his way back to full form and fitness from an ACL injury, he remains Manchester City's most important player. When he is back to his best, his presence on the pitch will lift and inspire his teammates, so it is easy to see why Rodri would be selected in Manchester City's captaincy group. Erling Haaland's reported selection in Manchester City's leadership group speaks volumes about Haaland's progression as a leader. Erling Haaland captained Manchester City last season in their 4-nil win over Newcastle United at the Etihad last season. The performance from Haaland on that day was a typical captain's display. He put himself about on the pitch, and it showed that in time that Haaland is a future City captain. At 24 years of age, Haaland figures to one day become a captain in his own right at Manchester City. His reported promotion to City's captaincy group does show that it is a path that Haaland is on. Summary. Manchester City's reported captaincy group for the 25/26 season is an exciting mix. It features a senior player in Bernardo Silva and two players in Ruben Dias and Rodri who are in the prime of their careers. Erling Haaland's inclusion speaks to his standing at City, and does suggest that he will one day captain Manchester City.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Newsweek
Lewis Hamilton Hints at Chaos Inside Ferrari With Cryptic Message
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton dropped hints after the Canadian Grand Prix about some inner-team turmoil within the Italian racing outfit. Life at Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton started as a fairytale, with much fanfare and anticipation, but it quickly spiraled into a nightmare after a rocky first 10 races with the Scuderia. Amid performance problems, new details are emerging about potential causes for the lackluster start. Fifth placed qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Fifth placed qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Photo byThe British racer revealed that things are happening behind the scenes at Ferrari that are preventing progress. "The mindset for me, I'm like 'there's a lot of changes that need to be made in the system.' I wish I could tell you what's happening. There's a lot going on in the background," Hamilton told Sky Sports Italy. "Yeah, I can't say too much about it. There's so many things I wish I could tell you that could explain the things that have happened this year, the problems we had, and what's going on within the organization. "But my goal is to try and positively influence, try and get change so we can have long-term success. "There's a lot of changes that we need. For me it's that foundation building. We're not fighting for a championship." Hamilton still isn't comfortable in the SF-25 and is publicly demanding some upgrades to the car. "Of course I'm asking for these things [upgrades]," Hamilton added. "I don't know why we haven't been bringing upgrades, I think we have one hopefully coming soon." Ferrari and Hamilton entered the season with title-winning aspirations, but the team has failed to win a Grand Prix this season, only getting a sprint race win in China. Charles Leclerc, in the No. 16 car, consistently maximizes the performance from the car, getting shocking results much higher than expected at most races. The Monaco-born driver managed to fight for pole position on a couple of occasions this season. Hamilton, on the other hand, continues to struggle in qualifying, getting consistently one-upped by Leclerc. The seven-time champion's race pace is still blistering; he is working his way up the grid from lower spots, but he has started on the back foot consistently, managing to keep up. Despite the struggles, Hamilton is only one spot below Leclerc, sitting P6 and only 25 points away, highlighting that his rough form is still relatively close to his teammate. If updates do something to the car, and Hamilton grows in comfort, he might be able to start delivering on the hype.
