POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. (Box Score)- Unseeded College of the Ozarks (Mo.) fell short on its upset bid against 10th-seeded Cornerstone University (Mich.) 73-72 in the first round of the 2010 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 2010 event is hosted at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

Ozarks started off hot, jumping out to an 8-4 lead in the first minute of the game. As the half continued however, eight turnovers and foul trouble battered Ozarks to a 40-30 deficit going into halftime. Cornerstone had better results in the opening half, shooting 54% from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. Ozarks was held to 43% shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The Bobcats came on strong in the second half, battling back to within four on a three-pointer by Mike Wiebe at the 7:46 mark, 60-56. Ozarks made it a two-point game at the 5:33 mark but the Golden Eagles pushed the lead back to an 11-point advantage. Ozarks gave itself one last chance when it scored the final ten points of the game, holding the Golden Eagles scores over the final 3:45 to come within one. But, with time winding down, Alex Williams dribbled around the key, attempted a layup in traffic and lost the ball as the time expired.

Junior forward Caleb Simons led Cornerstone with 20 points and four boards. Matt Kingshott came off the bench to contribute 13 points and Kelvin DeVries netted 11, including three baskets from beyond the arc.

Ozarks was led by junior Jared Howerton who sunk 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds . Mike Wiebe netted 19 points, going 4-of-7 from the three-point line. Scott McElvain pulled down 11 boards in leading Ozarks to a 37-28 advantage on the glass. The Bobcats finish their season with a 20-11 record.

Cornerstone improves to 28-6 and advances to the second round for the first time since 2007. They will face either McPherson College (Kan.) or # #7 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. undefined undefined