MARY MILLER CENTER | DANVILLE, Ill. - The No. 14 seed Coastal Alabama - North Men's Basketball team, led by head coach Chuck Taylor, opened the 2025-26 NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament with a dominant performance Monday afternoon, Mar. 16, defeating the No. 19 seed of Rockland Community College (N.Y.) 82-58 in Danville, Ill.
With the victory, the Coyotes improve to 25-9 overall and advance to the second round where they will face No. 3 seed Milwaukee Area Technical College (Wi.) on Tuesday, Mar. 17 at 3:00 p.m. CT at the Mary Miller Center in Danville.
Game Highlights
Coastal Alabama - North, who earned an at-large bid to this year's final site of the national tournament, controlled the game from the outset, building a 38-29 halftime advantage before pulling away in the second half. The Coyotes relied on a 20-5 run halfway through the first 20 minutes, while eventually outscoring Rockland 44-29 after the break. The 'Yotes stretched their lead to as many as 27 points late in the game to seal the victory.
Sophomore Chimeziri Okeoma put together a strong performance in the first round and led the Coyotes with a game-high 32 points, shooting 12-of-21 from the field while knocking down two three-pointers. He went a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line and added three steals on the defensive end.
Meanwhile, point guard Elijah Pippins added 16 points for Coastal - North, connecting on 7-of-9 free throws while contributing four assists and three steals. Bryce Wilkins also had a nice game, recording a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, and Bryson Holmes chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.
As a team, the Coyotes shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field and were efficient at the free throw line, converting 25-of-30 attempts (83.3 percent). Coastal also controlled the boards, out-rebounding Rockland 34-20 and holding the Hawks to just 37.3 percent shooting.
Second Round on Tuesday
The Coyotes will now turn their attention to a second-round matchup against Milwaukee Area Tech, the tournament's No. 3 seed and the No. 5 ranked team in the latest NJCAA Division II Top 25 poll.
Tip-off between Coastal Alabama - North and Milwaukee Area Tech is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Ill. and will be aired live on the NJCAA Network.
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