MARION, Ind. – The University of Tennessee Southern men's basketball team began their quest for an NAIA National Championship on Friday with a 91-84 win over Tougaloo. The seventh seed Firehawks were tested early by the tenth seed Bulldogs. Both squads would trade the lead three times in the first five minutes and would be tied at nine at the first media timeout. Over the next ten minutes, UT Southern would blow the game open to lead 32-19 heading into the final sprint of the half. The Firehawks led 45-28 at the break.

The Firehawks opened a 19-point advantage early in the final period, but Tougaloo would begin to chip away at the deficit. With the final 10 minutes left, the Bulldogs trailed by 13. TC would get to within six down the stretch, but the Firehawks held on for the first NAIA Championship tournament win since March 20^th, 2015. UTS outrebounded TC 28-23.

Four Firehawks scored in double figures. Mark Vance led with 18 points and six boards. Adarion Hudson pitched in 16 points and seven assists. Brady Brown added 15 points, including three triples.  Tad Sivley scratched for 12 points and six rebounds.

NEXT UP

UT Southern will face off against the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan tomorrow in the NAIA Championship Second Round. IWU defeated Columbia 105-99 in double overtime. The second round game will tip off at 4 p.m.

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