CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The 2020 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Men’s Basketball Tournament title game will see Nebraska Wesleyan (23-3, 15-1 A-R-C) returning for the third consecutive year and Coe (16-9, 11-5 A-R-C) making its first trip since 2012.
Nebraska Wesleyan, ranked No. 10 (D3hoops.com) advanced to the title game after defeating fifth-seeded Simpson (14-13, 7-9 A-R-C) 91-77 in the semifinal round. Coe punched their ticket to the championship game by defeating sixth-seeded Wartburg (12-15, 7-9 A-R-C) 103-75. Both NWU and Coe received first-round byes as the tournament's top two seeds.
No.1 Nebraska Wesleyan 91, No.5 Simpson 77 -
BOX SCORE
NWU's
Nate Schimonitz led all scorers on the night with 34 points. The senior also added seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Two other Prairies Wolves recorded double digit figures, in Clay Reimers (19 points) and Jack Hiller (18 points). Reimers was also the top rebounder for NWU with 10.
Dylan Dirks was second on the boards with nine.
Four players for the Storm reached double digit scoring figures, led by
Conor Riordan with 22.
Adam Reiter put up 17 points followed by
Nick Janssen with 12 and
Kyle Wagner with 10. Reiter picked up a double-double, grabbing a game high 15 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.
No.2 Coe 103, No.6 Wartburg 75 -
BOX SCORE
Five Kohawks eclipsed double-figures on the night with
Josh Schmitt leading the way with 18 points.
Adam McDermott,
Austin Roth,
Tommy Hook, and
Jarad Kruse also hit the mark with McDermott and Roth posting 15-points while Hook and Kruse totaled 12 points. McDermott, Roth, and
Ray Thrapp each snagged five rebounds to pace the Kohawks.
Wartburg senior
Tyler Zumbach led the Knights with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Zumbach was joined in double-digits by
Davis Roquet,
Jacob Kuhlemeier, and
Max Smith Drahos. Roquet finished with 12 points and four rebounds while Kuhlemeier totaled 11 points and four rebounds. Smith Drahos put up 10 points while grabbing two boards and providing two assists.
The 2020 A-R-C Championship game tips off from from Snyder Arena on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, February 29. Coe is making their fourth Conference Tournament title game and fist since 2012. The Kohawks will be shooting for their first conference title. NWU on the other hand is aiming for a three-peat. The Prairie Wolves joined the conference in 2016-17 and have made three-of-four title games.
The winner of the A-R-C tournament will receive the league’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament. Additionally, 21 teams from around the country will be selected to the NCAA Tournament field as at-large bids. Final regional ranking, win-loss percentage, wins against regionally ranked opponents, and strength of schedule are part of the primary criteria utilized by the NCAA selection committee. Two conference teams find themselves ranked in the West Region of the final NCAA Division regional rankings of the season - Nebraska Wesleyan remains ranked No. 2, and Loras remains ranked No. 5.
The 64 team NCAA Tournament field will be announced Monday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on NCAA.com.
