GLASSBORO, NJ – Ja'Zere Noel had a game-high 29 points as Rowan held off Cal Lutheran, 83-77, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship held at Esby Gym. The win advances the Profs to the second round on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Utica, which scored a 72-60 win over Babson.
 
Noel also grabbed 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season with Andrew Seager contributing 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Marcellus Ross scored 12 and D'Andre Vilmar had 10 points for Rowan (23-5).
 
The Profs were forced to come back from a nine-point deficit early in the second half and didn't put away the Kingsmen until the final seconds, when Noel hit a pair of free throws with :12 to play to give Rowan an 82-77 lead.
 
With 9:19 remaining in the game, Rowan took its first lead since the first half, 62-59, on back-to-back buckets by Noel. Cal Lutheran (13-14) regained the lead three more times, with the last being a 70-69 advantage with 3:19 remaining. The Profs built up a seven-point lead, 77-70, with 1:06 left and the Kingsmen cut it to 77-75 with 40 seconds remaining, but Rowan closed out the win from the foul line.
 
In the first half, Cal Lutheran made nine three-pointers to own a 46-38 lead at halftime, while it finished the game shooting 14-of-32 from beyond the arc. By contrast, Rowan connected on only two three-pointers in the win, while both teams struggled from the foul line with Cal Lutheran hitting 5-of-10 and the Profs making 13-of-20.
 
Brock Susko paced the Kingsmen's three-point shooting as he made 5-of-9 to finish with 14 points.
 
The victory marks Rowan's first in the NCAA Championship since 2019, when the Profs defeated Emerson in Esby Gym.