North Park shot 67 percent in the first half to sprint out to a
35-24 lead on Widener and went on to win the 1978 Division III
men's basketball national championship in its first NCAA Tournament
appearance.
Widener was successful in keeping the ball away from tournament Most Outstanding Player Michael Harper, a 6-9 center and future NBA draft pick, for a half, but Viking guards Tom Florentine and Michael Thomas combined to shoot 14-for-21 and pick up the slack. Harper scored 11 in the second half.
Championship
North Park 69, Widener 57
All-Tournament Team
Michael Harper, North Park (Most Outstanding Player)
Tom Florentine, North Park
Dennis James, Widener
John Nibert, Albion
Earl Keith, Stony Brook
Third Place
Albion 87, Stony Brook 78
National Semifinals
Widener 48, Stony Brook 38
North Park 75, Albion 69
Quarterfinals
Stony Brook 98, at Brandeis 84
at Widener 55, Kean 49
at Albion 78, Knoxville 77
North Park 79, at Humboldt State 76 (OT)
Regional Championships
at Brandeis 69, Massachusetts-Boston 68
at Stony Brook 40, St. Lawrence 34
Widener 63, Slippery Rock 60 (OT) (at Scranton)
at Kean 80, Washington and Lee 64
Albion 91, Bethany 74 (at Rose-Hulman)
Knoxville 84, Wooster 76 (at Transylvania)
North Park 65, Minnesota-Morris 62 (at Central)
at Humboldt State 69, Ashland 68 (teams got a first-round bye)
Regional Third Place
Clark (Mass.) 89, Suffolk 87; Potsdam State 64,
Manhattanville 60; Scranton 84, Upsala 77; Jersey City State 105,
Virginia Wesleyan 102; Otterbein 99, Rose-Hulman 82; Transylvania
96, DePauw 79; Central (Iowa) 81, Ripon 66
First Round
Massachusetts-Boston 93, Suffolk 90
Brandeis 79, Clark (Mass.) 77
Stony Brook 68, Potsdam State 62
St. Lawrence 65, Manhattanville 62
Widener 47, Upsala 39
Slippery Rock 70, Scranton 65
Kean 84, Virginia Wesleyan 75
Washington and Lee 66, Jersey City State 65
Albion 72, Otterbein 67
Bethany 70, Rose-Hulman 68
Wooster 84, DePauw 74
Knoxville 86, Transylvania 67
North Park 78, Ripon 68
Minnesota-Morris 62, Central (Iowa) 59
Jersey City State is now known as New Jersey City.