WHITEWATER, Wis. - Justin Pahl had 20 points and Ben Figini 18, including a game-clinching free throw in the closing seconds, as the No. 24-ranked St. Olaf men's basketball team defeated Defiance College 68-63 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Saturday night at Kachel Gym. 

Sterling Nielsen added 14 points and Riley Aeikens eight in the school record-setting win. Aeikens' layup in with 1:47 left gave the Oles a 64-63 lead. 

Pahl had 13 points in the first half while shooting 5-of-6 from the floor. He finished 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from long range. St. Olaf was 14-of-23 from the field in the second half while Defiance shot 30.8 percent (8-26). 

Bernard Edwards had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Michael Kaminski 11 points in 12 minutes to lead Defiance (22-7). The Yellow Jackets used a 10-0 run late in the second half to turn a nine-point deficit to a 63-62 lead with 2:03 to play. Aeiken's then made a layup and the Yellow Jackets went without a score in the closing two minutes. 

Defiance controlled most of the first half. The Yellow Jackets made six of its first 10 three-point attempts to take a 29-19 lead. Edwards had 10 points and Kaminski eight, on 3-of-4 shooting, for the Yellow Jackets in the first half. St. Olaf chipped away, with four points from Mason Braden off the bench to get within 37-30 at the break.

The Oles' 23 wins are a school record. St. Olaf will face Marietta in the third round of the tournament on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.