RSC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sat., Feb. 25 -- Semifinals
No. 2 Point Park (23-6) at No. 1 IU Kokomo (22-7), 3:00 p.m.
Live Audio I Live Video I Live Stats

The Matchup:

KOKOMO, Ind. -- Point Park University (23-6) plays at IU Kokomo (22-7) for the River States Conference Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Pioneers and Cougars meet for the second time this year in Kokomo but with a trip to the conference finals on the line this time.

Point Park won at IU Kokomo, 89-77, on Jan. 25. That pulled Point Park to 6-7 all-time versus the Cougars. This is the third postseason meeting between the teams with all three being hosted by IU Kokomo. The Pioneers lost at IU Kokomo in the RSC quarterfinals in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Live Coverage:

Listen Live on the Point Park Sports Network as PPSN will air live audio for free. The RSC Game Central has the pay-per-view video broadcast, but you can listen free of charge on PPSN. To get the PPSN broadcast, click the Live Audio link above and then click the green block marked "LISTEN."

Join Greg Hillman on play by play and Mike Hodgetts on color commentary bringing you all the action. The PPSN broadcast will bring you coverage you can't get anywhere else. Stay close to the Pioneers' team by logging on to listen to PPSN.

Also be sure to follow the Pioneers on social media @PointParkMBB and @PointParkSports for the latest and an inside look as the playoff run continues at IU Kokomo.

How They Got Here:

Point Park is the No. 2 seed from the RSC East Division. The Pioneers advanced with a 78-76 win over No. 3 Midway (Ky.) in the quarterfinals at home Wednesday night. IU Kokomo is the No. 1 seed from the RSC West as the divisional champ. The Cougars defeated No. 4 Ohio Christian, 100-74, at home in the quarterfinals.

The Point Park-IU Kokomo winners will play in the RSC Championship finals on Tuesday, Feb. 28 versus the winner of No. 1 (East) Rio Grande (Ohio) vs. No. 2 (West) IU Southeast. Rio Grande has the right to host throughout whereas Point Park or IU Kokomo would host IU Southeast if the results go that way.

Last Meeting:

Point Park's 89-77 win at IU Kokomo on Jan. 28 had Jalen Stamps explode for 30 points with 26 in the second half. The Pioneers were ahead, 41-37, at the break with Cyrie Coates scoring 14 of his 18 the first half and Jordan Stowe scoring all 10 of his points the first 20 minutes. Jo Valrie added 21 points on the day, and Jags Jhawar had a huge game with 17 rebounds (career high) and four blocks.

Hunter White scored 23 points on 10 for 20 field goals to lead IU Kokomo. Xavier Hines put in 14 points on the strength of 3 for 6 from long range. Julian Hunter added 10 points off the bench to make it three Cougars in double figures.

Point Park shot 52 percent for the game and held IUK to 39 percent. Point Park lead in the rebounds, 48-37, which included a domination of 25-9 in the second half. IU Kokomo had a very clean game with only five turnovers but was held to a lower shooting percentage and minimal second-chance opportunities. Point Park survived despite losing the turnover battle with five.

What's At Stake:

The RSC Championship winner will advance to the NAIA National Championship, which begins March 7-8 at campus sites around the country. If Rio Grande were to reach the conference finals, its opponent there would be automatically guaranteed a spot at nationals. The RedStorm has already locked up a nationals bid as RSC regular-season champion. If the regular season champion goes on to win the conference tournament, the runner-up gets the RSC's second automatic bid.

Short of a getting one of the RSC's two automatic bids to the 64-team NAIA national tournament, teams will have to await any possible at-large bids. Those would be announced along with the rest of the tournament bracket during the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Selection Show on Thursday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the NAIA website.

The 64-team bracket begins at 16 sites around the country with four teams at each location. The 16 winners go to Kansas City, Mo., March 13-16 for the NAIA National Championship final site.

NAIA History:

Point Park is seeking its sixth all-time appearance in the NAIA national tournament and its first since 2006-07. The Pioneers have enjoyed a strong history of national tournament trips across their 55-year history. Point Park made national berths in 1978-79, 1982-83, 1996-97, 2000-01 and 2006-07. Point Park made its best run to the NAIA Final Four in 1996-97. The Pioneers reached the NAIA Sweet 16 in 2000-01 and were the No. 3 overall seed in the 2006-07 tournament.

IU Kokomo has been to three out of the last four NAIA national tournaments. The Cougars made their best run last year making the national championship final site of the NAIA Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Mo. The Cougars made it there with an upset of No. 1-ranked William Penn (Iowa) in the round of 32.