Falcons Win Conference Championship

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa - The Florida College Falcons defeated the Washington Adventist University Shock 102-82 in the Continental Athletic Conference Championship game on February 27, 2022.

History

This is the first-ever NAIA Conference Championship for Florida College Men's Basketball. It is the first conference championship of any kind in 30 years for Florida College Men's Basketball. The win puts the Falcons at 30-3 (12-0 CAC) heading into the NAIA National Tournament. FC continues to build on the winningest season in program history. They capped off an undefeated conference season. The closest margin of victory in the CAC Tournament was the 16-point win over Iowa Wesleyan in the semi-final. The average margin of victory for FC in the tournament was 30.3 points. Florida College Men's Basketball is the first team in the NAIA era to win their conference tournament and represent the school in the NAIA National Tournament.

The Game

The game itself was never really in doubt. The Shock took a 3-0 lead, knocking in their first shot attempt from distance. After the Falcons took a 5-3 lead they never looked back. The Falcons took an eleven-point lead with 5:06 remaining in the first half after a Drew Kramer three-pointer. The game would never be within double digits after that shot. FC led 51-37 at the half.

The second half saw the lead balloon out to 24 points with six minutes left after a Matt Simpson layup. The Shock would hang around and eventually hit a three-pointer with 0.9 remaining to make it a twenty-point final deficit. The Falcons only turned it over twice the entire second half. Every active member of the team saw action in the game and in every game of the tournament.

The Falcons received their CAC Championship T-shirts, the Championship Trophy, and cut the nets down for the first time in program history. Ladarron "Phat" Cleveland, Chinedu Okonkwo, and DJ Doakes were all named to the All-Tournament Team. Matt Simpson was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Stats

Simpson tallied 32 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Falcons. Phat Cleveland poured in 18 points. DJ Doakes added 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting, including 2-of-2 from deep, and an alley-oop dunk in the first half. Chinedu Okonkwo put up 12 points and 6 rebounds to round out the double-figure scorers. The Falcons had just 5 turnovers in the game to go along with very efficient shooting percentages of 48.5/38.5/86.7.

Quotes

"This is what it is all about," said Head Coach Chase Teichmann. "These guys have worked so hard for a long time for this moment. They deserve every bit of this. This is a tremendous accomplishment for our program and for our college. We are extremely excited and blessed. I could not ask for a better group of guys to do this with. This has been a goal of ours since we entered the league. I cannot express how much it means to do it with these guys. Our seniors mean so much to us, they have been through a lot. As I said, they deserve this and they earned it. We will be focused and ready for the National Tournament."

"It feels unreal," stated junior forward Ray Cao. "I am super thankful for this experience with a great group of teammates and coaches that I'll never forget."

"We are champions," said senior guard Matt Simpson. "It feels so good to say. We had some tough times during my first two years here. Then last year we were close but just weren't quite there yet. It feels amazing to have battled through adversity and win a ring. I love every single one of my teammates and we have a phenomenal coaching staff. We're bringing the trophy back home to our incredible fans!"

"It is such a blessing to be a part of this special group of people," said assistant coach Bryan Doze. I am a firm believer in culture wins championships, and the culture CT (Coach Teichmann) has put together in just two years as the head coach is remarkable. Our guys worked hard for this moment and I am very proud of each and every one of them. It feels good to accomplish one of our goals but the job isn't done yet."

"We were all locked in all weekend," said senior forward DJ Doakes. "When we all bring our energy like we brought it this tournament, we can't be beat!"

"I wouldn't imagine winning and making history with any other team than this one," mentioned sophomore forward EJ Wynn. "I am so thankful for the fans at FC and my teammates and coaches. This is something I will never forget and something I can't wait to do again!"

What's Next?

The Falcons await their seed, location, and opponent, for the NAIA National Tournament. The selection show is at 8 PM (ET) on Thursday, March 3. It is broadcast by the NAIA on Facebook Live.

The Falcons are currently projected as a 2-seed in the latest NAIA Hoops Report Bracketology. The Falcons will be sent to one of 16 host sites for the opening rounds. Four teams each from the 64 team field are selected to go to one of the 16 sites, seeded 1-4. On March 11, the one-seed plays the four, and the two-seed plays the three. The winners will face off on March 12. The final remaining team from each of those 16 opening rounds will meet in Kansas City, Missouri for the rest of the NAIA National Tournament.