LANGSTON, Okla. – The fifth-seeded Louisiana State University of Alexandria men’s basketball team enters the NAIA National Championship First and Second Round subregional tonight at 7 against 12th-seeded Eastern Oregon, hoping to move forward through the weekend to the national tournament’s Sweet 16 in Kansas City.
This weekend’s host, Langston, is the fourth seed in the 16-team regional bracket. The Lions (24-7) meet 13th-seeded Bethel (19-12) today and the winners play Saturday night for a trip to KC’s legendary Municipal Auditorium.
The Generals advanced to Kansas City and reached the NAIA Round of Eight last season.
This year’s LSUA team finished second in the Red River Athletic Conference after going 18-4 during conference play. The Generals are 23-8 overall and will meet a 21-8 Eastern Oregon squad tonight.
The Generals’ E.J. McQuillan earned first team All-RRAC honors after leading the RRAC with a 20.5 points per game average. He recorded a team-high 74 assists and knocked down 40 percent of his shots, including 38.6 from long range. He shot 82.9 percent on free throws.
Jordan Decuir contributes 15.1 points per game. T.J. James led the Generals in rebounding, hauling in 240 boards – averaging 8.0 per game.
LSUA and Eastern Oregon have never played each other. This is the Mountaineers’ first trip to the NAIA Championship since 2022-23.
The Langston Lions have made an appearance in the NAIA tournament for the last four seasons.
LSUA is 10-2 all-time against the Lions. Eight of those games came when Langston was a member of the RRAC. The two have not met since the 2017-18 season.
LSUA met Bethel early in the regular season when the Wildcats recorded a 90-83 win over the Generals.