SIOUX FALLS, S.D.- Despite a late comeback, the no. 2 seeded St. Thomas (23-8) was eliminated by no. 3 seeded Briar Cliff (24-7) on Heritage Court at the Sanford Pentagon in Friday's Second Round of the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament.  The Bobcats had advanced to the second round of the NAIA national tournament for the fourth time in school history.
 
What looked to have the potential of a miraculous comeback took place late in the game as the Bobcats battled back to within 12 points after trailing by as many as 23.  
 
The first half had BCU sink most of their threes but the Bobcats stayed alive with a strong presence in the paint. It was Raheem Bowman who made sure the Chargers knew he was there with a strong and aggressive battle down low. He scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the first half. He also registered a game-high 10 rebounds to fulfill his 17th double-double of the season.
 
Forward Khalil Williams had a powerful first half as well, one in which he converted on back-to-back and-one opportunities to help creep the score line deficit closer. He closed out his first half play with eight points and four boards.
 
After 20 minutes of play, the score board showed STU down 30-51, but the Bobcats did not count themselves out. The team continued to battle and continued to hustle
 
A resilient Bobcat team kept pushing and fighting in the second half as they attempted a comeback to get within striking distance of Briar Cliff.  
 
With a big run late in the game, the Bobcats were able to bring the game within 12 points as Bahamian guard Mikhail Rolle scored seven of STU's nine points during a 9-to-2 run late with just over five minutes to play.
 
Rolle was electric late in the game as he would end up scoring all 13 of his points in the final 10 minutes of play.
 
Although the team fought hard, they fell just short of victory in the Second Round of the NAIA National Championship Tournament by a final score of 90-74 in favor of the Chargers. A well fought matchup between two teams with almost identical regular season records.
 
Notable numbers in the game for the Bobcats came from senior center Bowman (24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals), Williams (15 points, eight rebounds), Rolle (13 points, 5-for-7 FG/FGA), and Trotman (10 points, five rebounds).
 
Head Coach Patrick Gayle ended his sixth season as head coach with a fourth appearance in the national tournament and a 25-8 record in the 2017-18 season that included The Sun Conference regular season championship.
 
The Bobcats will return to sunny South Florida on Saturday.