HIGHLIGHTS | BRACKET
DANVILLE, Ill. – Macomb Men's Basketball is going to the Final Four! Trailing most of the game, the No. 8 seed Monarchs (27-7) fought throughout and held the top-seeded and previously undefeated Storm of Davidson-Davie (33-1) scoreless for eight minutes down the stretch to win, 66-63, and move on to the Final Four of the 2023 NJCAA Division II National Championship.
The Monarchs will play the winner of the 12-seed Waubonsee and 4-seed Danville game Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT. Danville, the host institution, plays Waubonsee Thursday at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT.
On Wednesday, the Monarchs got off to a strong start and led 8-2 three minutes into the contest. The Storm, a team with back-to-back appearances in the national championship game, put their experience on display and went on a 25-10 run to lead by as many as nine in the first half. The large run by the Storm resulted in a six-point halftime deficit for the Monarchs, 33-27.
Aidan Rubio (Flint, Mich./Goodrich/DME Academy) continued his dominance on the national stage and scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to help keep the Monarchs within two possessions.
Second-year head coach
Hassan Nizam and the Monarchs made adjustments at the half and battled back to get within two, 45-43, with 12:38 remaining. The Storm responded with another run, this time a 14-6 spurt to push their lead to double digits, 59-49, with 8:27 remaining.
The Monarchs' top-rated defense took over from there and held the nation's No. 1 team—a team that averaged 93.1 points per game this season—scoreless from the 8:27 mark to 38-seconds remaining in Wednesday's Elite 8 contest. The impressive defensive showing allowed the Monarchs to come all the way back from the 10-point deficit and regain the lead, 60-59, with 4:44 left on the clock when
Tamario Adley (Detroit, Mich./De La Salle) drove the lane for two. Baskets by
Jaylen Daughtery (Oak Park, Mich./Ferndale) and
Tymias Williams (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) kept the Monarchs in front and led to a 64-61 advantage with 29 seconds remaining in the game.
The Storm answered with a quick basket to cut the Monarchs lead to one, 64-63, with 16 seconds remaining before Daughtery would get sent to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. The sophomore forward stepped to the charity stripe and came up big for the Monarchs, making both free throws to push the lead back to three, 66-63. Daughtery's free throws would be the difference over the final 16 seconds as the Monarchs made two more defensive stops down the stretch to seal the victory and secure the program's first ever trip to the Final Four.
Rubio's game-high 23 points follows an opening round performance that saw the freshman wing pour in a game-best 25 points. In two games at the national tournament, Rubio is averaging 24 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field.
While his free throws were massive at the end, Daughtery was impressive all night as the sophomore forward recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds to help propel the Monarchs to victory. Daughtery's effort on the glass, combined with 10 boards by Williams, helped the Monarchs out-rebound the Storm, 37-30, and earn a 16-12 edge in second chance points.
Adley made a host of winning plays down the stretch and finished with nine points, a game-high six assists and three rebounds.
