HIGHLIGHTS | NET-CUTTING CEREMONY

FLINT, Mich. – Ticket Punched! Macomb Men's Basketball is going dancing for the second time in program history! The eighth-ranked Monarchs shook off a slow start to defeat Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 71-56, to win the NJCAA Region XII Great Lakes District C Championship on Sunday (March 12) in Flint. The 15-point championship victory punches the Monarchs' ticket to the NJCAA Division II National Championship March 21-25 at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Ill.

The championship game victory lifts the Monarchs record to 25-7 on the season. The Cougars of Kalamazoo Valley fell to 23-7 with the setback.

The adage of 'defense wins championships' rang true for second-year head coach Hassan Nizam and the Monarchs Sunday as the nation's top scoring defense and top field goal percentage defense held the Cougars 31 points under their season average of 87 points per game. The Monarchs limited the Cougars to 28 points in each half on 30.5% shooting overall and a 25% clip from 3-point territory.

While the defense was stingy from the opening tip, the Monarchs had to battle through early offensive struggles and trailed by two at the break, 28-26. Despite the narrow halftime deficit and early offensive struggles, the Monarchs stuck to their game plan in the second half and eventually went on to outscore the Cougars, 45-28, over the final 20 minutes to earn the program's second region title.

The program's first region title was won in 2016-17 under longtime head coach, Jim Twigg.

Offensively, the Monarchs started to roll early in the second half and used a 20-4 run to turn a 34-27 deficit into a 47-38 lead with 11:08 remaining in the contest. The Cougars had one final run of their own, but the Monarchs proved to be too much and went on to lead by as many as 18 in the latter half before earning the 15-point victory.

While stingy defense dominated the day, the Monarchs were balanced offensively as four players reached double figures in the well-rounded team win. Linden Holder (Warren, Mich./De La Salle) and Tymias Williams (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) led a balanced cast of Monarchs with 12 points each, while Jaylen Daughtery (Oak Park, Mich./Ferndale) and Aidan Rubio (Flint, Mich./Goodrich/DME Academy) tallied 11 points apiece. Daughtery came up big on both ends of the floor in the title game as the sophomore blocked a game-high five shots and recorded a double-double after hauling in a game-high 11 rebounds to accompany his 11-point effort.

Williams joined Daughtery in the double-double category with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while the tandem of Holder and Rubio hit timely shots in the second half to help propel the Monarchs to victory. Rubio, who was named the Great Lakes District C Tournament MVP, added eight rebounds and four assists to go along with his 11-point afternoon. Holder scored nine of his team-high-tying 12 points in the second half on a trio of 3-pointers, all coming in big spots for the Monarchs.

Kareem Aburashed (West Bloomfield, Mich./Country Day) was one of several Monarchs to step up in the second half as the freshman posted a stat line of eight points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Tamario Adley (Detroit, Mich./De La Salle) checked in with seven points and battled through a tough first half fall, while Cameron McEvans (Southfield, Mich./Southfield A&T) and Juwan Maxey (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) combined for 10 points and seven rebounds. McEvans provided a spark for the Monarchs throughout the tournament and finished Sunday with six points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

All-Tournament Team: The following Monarchs earned All-Tournament Team recognition for their play Friday and Sunday at the Great Lakes District C Tournament: Kareem Aburashed, Tamario Adley and Aidan Rubio (MVP).

Selection Show: Tune in to the NJCAA Division II National Championship Selection Show Tuesday (March 14) at 2 p.m. on the NJCAA Network to find out the Monarchs' seed and who the team will play in the opening round of the 16-team national tournament.

In his second season: Sunday's win was the 50^th in the young career of second-year head coach, Hassan Nizam. In his first season, Nizam led the Monarchs to the program's first MCCAA Championship and the first MCCAA Eastern Conference title since 1992-93 (first outright title since 1983-84) with a record of 25-5 overall. This season, Nizam led the Monarchs to the program's second region title / second trip to the NJCAA Division II National Championship with a record of 25-7.