KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The #3-ranked Roadrunners narrowly kept their championship hopes alive with a tense 84-82 win over Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO on Thursday night.

THE FIRST HALF
Dalton State began strong with an early lead at 9-3 with 16:30 left. The Roadrunners would control the paint to grow their lead to 10 points as a three-pointer from Isaiah Box would give Dalton State a confident lead at 17-7 with 14:18 left. Harris-Stowe would struggle through the half to bridge the gap until a blitzing 13-4 run by the Hornets would see them tie it up at 27-27 with 7:46 left. The Hornets would capitalize on the Roadrunners lost momentum and flip the board for the lead at 46-37 with 1:17 left. Harris-Stowe would go into the break ahead, 46-40.

THE SECOND HALF
The Roadrunners wasted no time getting back into the groove as they would shrink the gap completely and tie the game at 50-50 with 16:49 left. Both teams would continue to fight for the advantage as the crowd would continue to see the ball move across both sides of the court. The score remained tied at 58-58 with 13:31 left, and again at 62-62 with 11:08 left. The Hornets would be the first to break away from the stalemate with a 7-0 run that was capped by a pair of free throws from Malik Wineglass to put Harris-Stowe ahead, 69-62 with 8:25 left. The Roadrunners met the Hornet's momentum with key defensive stops and a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game back up at 69-69 with 5:30 left. The game remained close as the Roadrunners held off the Hornet's offense for the win, 84-82.

THE REST OF THE STORY
Dalton State improves to 28-4 on the year and continues on in the Liston Bracket of the tournament with the win. The Roadrunners had five players in double-figures with Carnilious Simmons leading the team with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Harden and Sayvon Wilson were crucial in helping the team control the paint and scored 16 and 12 points respectively. Reed Dungan and Isaiah Box provided the offense with weapons from the field with 12 points each.

Harris-Stowe State finishes their season at 19-13. The Hornets also had five players in double-figures, and were led by in scoring by Jalen Fletcher with 16 points. Craig Davila Jr. followed with 15 points, and Cameron Biedscheid scored 14 points. Malik Wineglass and Evans Ganapamo contributed 11 and 10 points respectively.

Dalton State will meet the winner of the Montana Western (Mt.) and LSU Shreveport (La.) game on Friday, March 17, at 9:15 p.m. (CDT)