(KANSAS CITY, Mo.)---The Crimson Storm men's basketball team improved to 27-6 on the season with a hard-fought 81-78 victory over Montana Western in the second round on the National Tournament on Friday evening in Municipal Auditorium. After a back-and-forth, evenly match first half that resulted in the score being knotted at 37 at the break; SNU came out hungry for a lead, and a victory, in the second half. Despite a solid run from their talented opponent, the Storm was able to pull off the victory and advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow evening.  Montana Western got off to a solid start in the game, using perimeter jumpers to gain an early 6-2 advantage over the Storm. Fortunately, SNU got things going shortly after, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to narrow the gap. Giving the Storm the first lead since the opening possession was Jeremy Lightfoot, whose outstanding presence inside the previous day led the Storm to victory. Lightfoot's bucket in the paint gave his team a 12-11 lead with 16:11 remaining in the half.

Once again, the Bulldogs went on a run, going ahead by three after both teams struggled offensively for a few moments. Jon West penetrated the paint on the other end, and knocked down a runner to cut the deficit to a point with 13:29 remaining. Trailing 14-15, SNU couldn't capitalize on two opportunities to take the lead, and MWU widened the gap with another jumper from behind the arc.

Responding on the other end was Kyle Boen who knocked down his first shot of the game from three-point range, making the score 17-18 in favor of the Bulldogs with 13:05 remaining. SNU took the lead on the next possession with a bucket inside from Shane Callaghan, but MWU got to the free throw line on the other end and knocked down a pair to regain the one-point advantage with 10:51 to play before the break. Knotting the game at 20 was Vladimir Bulut when he knocked down the back end of two free throws on the other end.

Both teams went silent offensively in the next few minutes, but SNU was able to gain a three-point lead when the clock read 8:28. Just over a minute later, the Bulldogs eliminated the advantage with their fifth make from three-point range. The Storm regained the lead on the next possession when West hooked up with AJ Thomas on an in-bounds play under the basket. Thomas finished the wide-open shot to give SNU a 25-23 lead with 6:47 to play.

Exchanging a few buckets, SNU remained on top until the 5:26 mark when MWU knocked down the back end of two free throws to go ahead by a point. Daniel White gave the Crimson Storm the lead once again, scoring back-to-back buckets. The Bulldogs chipped away at the deficit, however, knotting the game at 31 with about four minutes to play, and taking a 33-31 lead with 3:43 remaining. Once again, MWU found success from behind the arc, knocking down their sixth trey ball to take a five-point lead.

White came up with another bucket for the Storm, responding quickly on the other end with a floating jumper to keep the margin slim. Time continued to tick away and both teams struggled, with SNU finally getting a shot to fall at the 1:27 mark when White padded his stats with a 15-foot jumper. Trailing 35-37 with the clock ticking below a minute and the shot clock winding down, the Storm was unable to capitalize on their possession and MWU remained on top.

With :12 seconds on the clock, Callaghan knocked down a shot in the paint, knotting the game at 37, which would remain the case going into the locker room.

SNU came out hungry for a lead in the second half, and Vladimir Bulut gave his team just that, knocking down a shot from behind the arc in the first 30 seconds of the half. The Bulldogs cut the lead to one with 19:02 on the clock, and capitalized on a Storm turnover on the next possession, converting a three-point play to go ahead 42-40. SNU cut the lead to one with a free throw from Lightfoot, but MWU knocked down another three-pointer to widen the gap once again.

Another easy bucket in transition resulted in a six point difference with 17:21 remaining, forcing coach Adam Bohac to call a time out and discuss things with his team. SNU moved the ball well on the possession following the timeout, resulting in an open lane for Adrian Hunter. The bucket from Hunter made the score 43-47 with 16:35 remaining, but the Bulldogs widened the gap once again. Unfortunately for SNU, AJ Thomas picked up his fourth foul and was forced to take a seat.

Following another timeout, the Storm cut the deficit to four with a trey ball from Kyle Boen at the 15:22 mark. MWU responded in a hurry, taking a 52-46 lead and maintaining momentum. Knocking down two shots from the line on the other end, Jon West gave the Storm a little life. Crashing the offensive boards on the next possession, West finished a second chance bucket to cut the Bulldogs lead to a possession.

SNU made a statement on the defensive end next, stealing a pass away; Daniel White hooked up with Adrian Hunter in transition. Hunter drained an 18-foot jumper, knotting the game at 52 with 13:44 remaining. Once again MWU pulled away, going on a 5-0 run before West drained a dagger from behind the arc, and lay in an easy bucket in transition on the next opportunity to tie the game at 57 with 11:49 to play.

The Bulldogs took the lead once again, but Vladimir Bulut leaned into a defender when going up to shoot from behind the arc. Drawing the foul, Bulut went to the line for three shots, two of which fell through. With the scored tied up once again, SNU continued to battle for the advantage. With 9:58 to play, the score was knotted, 61-61.

The Storm and the Bulldogs exchanged buckets, but MWU was able to take a two-point lead as the game approached the nine-minute mark. Trailing 65-63, SNU looked to White to knot the game up once again. White gave the Storm a one-point lead at the 8:34 mark when he knocked down the front end of two free throws.

Continuing to exchange buckets, SNU and MWU made sure the game remaining close. With 7:22 remaining, White gave the Storm a three-point lead over the Bulldogs. Time continued to tick away, and SNU remained on top, thanks to solid defense. As the clock neared the five-minute mark, the Storm widened the gap a little more with an NBA range three-pointer from Bulut.

With just over three minutes remaining in the game, the Bulldogs kept the pressure on, narrowing the Storm lead to three with 1:56 to play. MWU was forced to foul on the next possession, sending Hunter to the line for SNU. There, he knocked down a pair to give the Storm a five-point lead, 80-75. Another big stop on the defensive end resulted in another offensive possession for the Storm, and AJ Thomas ended up on the free throw line where he went 1-of-2. MWU was able to respond quickly, knocking down a long three with :32 seconds remaining, cutting the lead to three.

The Bulldogs grabbed a steal by applying full court pressure shortly after a timeout, but a missed three-pointer kept the lead in favor of SNU. Crashing the boards, the Bulldogs were given new life when the pulled down the rebound. With :15 seconds remaining, MWU had possession of the ball and an opportunity to knot the game at 81.

A strong defensive stand on the final possession resulted in a hard-fought, three-point victory for the Crimson Storm, improving to 27-6 on the season with an 81-78 win. The victory advances SNU to the quarterfinals tomorrow evening at 8:00 p.m. when they will face Robert Morris, a team that upset 2nd-seeded Concordia earlier in the evening.

Leading the way for SNU against Montana Western was Vladimir Bulut who finished the game with 16 points and seven rebounds. Adding 14 points and eight boards was Daniel White. Also finishing in double figures, Jeremy Lightfoot, and Jon West had 13 apiece while Adrian Hunter added 11.

For the game, SNU shot 53% from the field (31-of-58), 33% from behind the arc (7-of-21), and just 48% from the free throw line (12-of-25). Montana Western shot 47% from the field (24-of-51), 40% from three-point range (9-of-22), and 81% from the charity stripe (21-of-26).