For Immediate Release
March 3 , 2008
Maryville men receive 10th straight NCAA at-large bid
MARYVILLE, Tenn. - The #20 ranked Maryville College Scots have earned their tenth consecutive NCAA Division III at-large tournament berth following a 24-2 season that included their sixth Great South Athletic Conference tournament title and a school record 17-game win streak.
MC will travel to Jackson, Mississippi and will face tournament host Millsaps College in the first round of NCAA action. Action will begin on Friday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m.CST. The Majors finished the regular season with a 25-3 record and went 13-2 in the SCAC. They gained an automatic bid following a win over #2 Centre College in the conference finals. The Majors are led by Edrick Montgomery who scores at a 16.5 points per game pace. Rodney Rogan and Lorenzo Bailey contribute 13.9 and 12.4 points per game respectively. Additional teams at the Millsaps regional will be Mary Hardin-Baylor (25-3) and Fontbonne (21-6).
The Scots are paced by senior and All-Great South performer Alex Bowers. The Clarksville, Tennessee native averages 15.9 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. GSAC “Freshman of the Year” and “Tournament MVP” Eryk Watson deposited 22 during the tournament championship and averaged 12.7 points a game from the point guard position. MC’s post presence has been filled by all-conference sophomore Christopher Orr and Greg Hernandez. The pair combined for 16 points and 8 rebounds each game. MC’s defensive presence is enforced by seniors Quinn Bradley and Jonathan Johnson. Bowers and Ben Williamson have been MC’s most consistent long distance threats after connecting on 40% of their shots from beyond the arc.
Head Coach Randy Lambert is in his 28th season and has amassed 525 career wins. He is nationally ranked with his 70% career winning percentage. His squads have earned six consecutive regular season GSAC titles and six Great South Tournament championships, two in a row, since MC joined the conference in 2000. This selection is the basketball program’s fifteenth trip to the NCAA post-season, all under the direction of Lambert. MC’s first selection was at the conclusion of the 1990-91 season. Lambert’s Scots have been to ten consecutive NCAA events and has set an NCAA record with victories in the first round of nine consecutive national tournaments.
The Scots are 13-14 (.481) in fourteen appearances in the NCAA post-season. Last season Maryville defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 73-62 before falling to Mississippi College 76-56.
Courtesy of Maryville College Sports Information Office
