Box Score The Park University men's basketball program made its second appearance in the Heart Conference Tournament on Wednesday, February 26 against the No. 4 seeded MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers in Olathe, Kan. The Pioneers pulled away in the second half, 75-64.

This is the best record for Park since before coming to the Heart of America Athletic Conference, as the Pirates went 21-7 in their last season in the AMC. This year though, the Pirates turn in a 17-12 season with a 16-8 conference record, both of which are the team's best finishes in the Heart.

Both No. 5 Park and No. 4 MidAmerica Nazarene split on the season and coming into the contest, the Pirates defeated the Pioneers on the road the last two seasons. MidAmerica Nazarene would move on to the semifinals with a 18-11 record.

MidAmerica Nazarene was off to a good start with a 8-2 run to begin the game, but Jasigha Barnes and Christian Bradford countered with a 5-0 run off of a three-pointer by Barnes and layup by Bradford to make it 10-9 deficit with 14:53 to play. Barnes would answer MidAmerica Nazarene with another three-pointer and then Abubakar Kromah flew in for the go ahead bucket with 13:26 to go, 14-13. No one scored over the next wo minutes, but then another senior got in the mix, as Gagi Gvalia put Park up 16-13. A three-pointer by the Pioneers canceled the lead for Park, but the Pirates started to catch fire with a 6-0 run, including four points from Tyler Burrows. The third three of the half for Barnes kept Park at a six-point advantage under 10 minutes, 25-19, and then he tacked on a two-point basket to give Park its largest lead at 27-19. Under two minutes to go though, the Pioneers scraped back into it and took the lead on a three-pointer at 1:55, 33-32. Kromah scored in the last possession of the half, but not before the Pioneers took the 37-34 halftime lead.

It stayed even for several possessions, until Jaden Robinson scored a two-point field goal followed by a free-throw on a separate possession, which set up Barnes for another triple to make it 43-42 with 15:40 to play. Another two buckets by Bradford turned the lead back to Park momentarily at the 14:00 mark, but the lead would be exchanged two more times before a MidAmerica Nazarene three put them back up two with 12:22 remaining. Burrows managed to tie it for Park at 8:58 at 54-54, but the Pioneers regained the lead and did not let it go in the last seven minutes. Three turnovers and a cold zero-of-six from behind the arc in the last 7:10 of the game made it difficult to comeback, as MidAmerica Nazarene advanced past Park, 75-64.

Park was 43.1-percent from the field, but only four-of-19 from three-point range, while MidAmerica Nazarene was slightly better from the field at 47.4-percent and knocked down half of their threes at nine-of-18.

Both teams had 13 free-throw attempts, Park with 10 makes and the Pioneers were nearly automatic with 12 makes at 92.3-percent.

Park had one more turnover than MidAmerica Nazarene, but the Pioneers were able to do more off of the turnovers translating to six more points than Park, 18 to 12.
13 more points came from MidAmerica Nazarene's bench as well.

Barnes led Park with 16 points and two other seniors were in double-figures. Robinson was next in line with 14 points and Bradford put up 10 points.

Kromah put up a well-rounded performance with 12 points, nine rebounds, and a team-leading six assists.

Robinson was next in rebounding with seven and was a ferocious defender with four steals and three blocks.
Box Score