Calvin College withstood a second-half flurry from Wisconsin-Eau Claire to claim a 79-75 win for the 2000 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. All five Calvin starters were in double figures, as the Knights shot 52 percent from the field to earn their second NCAA title. Trailing by as many as 22 points in the second half, the Blugolds drew within one point on a pair of free throws by tournament Most Outstanding Player Sherm Carstensen with 3:06 remaining. Carstensen surpassed his day-old career high with 36 points, knocking in 12-of-23 shots and 10-of-10 free throws. The junior guard grabbed 11 rebounds and played all but 13 seconds in the game, and finished with 70 points in the two-game championship series. He just missed the Division III record of 71 recorded by Greg Grant of Trenton State in 1989. Freshman Jeremy Veenstra led Calvin with 18 points. Aaron Winkle added 14 and joined Carstensen and Veenstra on the All-Tournament Team. Also in double figures for Calvin were Bryan Foltice, Nate Karsten, and Brian Krosschell all with 11. Quintin Johnson scored 14 points off the bench for the Blugolds, and Joe Jackson added 10. Calvin opened the game up late in the first half. Trailing by one, 22-21, the Knights outscored Wisconsin-Eau Claire 27-10 in the final 7:59 of the first half. The Blugolds shot 52 percent but were plagued by 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. In the opening 4:45 of the second half, Calvin outscored Wisconsin-Eau Claire 12-6 to stretch its lead to 22 points. Carstensen combined with Johnson to score 30 of the Blugolds' 36 points in the final 15:15 of the game. Calvin (30-2) won its 22nd consecutive game, and joined the 1992 team with a national championship. Wisconsin-Eau Claire finished 27-6 and posted an NCAA runner-up finish in its first ever NCAA Division III Championship appearance.
Championship
Calvin 79, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 74
at Salem, Va. (att. 3,261)
All-Tournament Team
Sherm Carstensen, Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Most Outstanding
Player)
Jeremy Veenstra, Calvin
Aaron Winkle, Calvin
Tishaun Jenkins, Salem State
Alex Kraft, Franklin & Marshall
Third-Place Game
Salem State 79, Franklin & Marshall 75
National Semifinals
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 70, Salem State 42
Calvin 79, Franklin & Marshall 77
Sectional Finals
Salem State 75, Penn State-Behrend 69
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 60, Wisconsin-Stevens Point 58
Calvin 115, McMurry 79
Franklin & Marshall 85, Catholic 74
Sectional Semifinals
Salem State 70, Springfield 69
Penn State-Behrend 58, Cortland State 52
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 82, Buena Vista 75 (OT)
Wisconsin-Stevens Point 63, Chicago 49
McMurry 112, Maryville (Tenn.) 95
Calvin 82, Wooster 53
Catholic 57, William Paterson 52
Franklin & Marshall 76, Rowan 72
Second Round
Springfield 75, Williams 74
Salem State 81, Amherst 75
Penn State-Behrend 80, Rochester Institute of Technology 65
Cortland State 60, Hamilton 55
Buena Vista 69, St. Thomas 66
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 74, Carthage 62
Wisconsin-Stevens Point 72, Lewis & Clark 68
Chicago 75, Ripon 68
McMurry 111, Pomona-Pitzer 76
Maryville (Tenn.) 76, Hampden-Sydney 75
Wooster 82, Ohio Northern 71
Calvin 92, Franklin 90 (OT)
William Paterson 60, Scranton 58 (OT)
Catholic 65, Christopher Newport 64
Rowan 80, Roanoke 74
Franklin & Marshall 65, Widener 62
First Round
Springfield 80, Eastern Connecticut 75
Amherst 79, Western New England 77
Penn State-Behrend 64, Alvernia 60
Hamilton 85, Endicott 68
St. Thomas 80, Nebraska Wesleyan 58
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 72, Concordia (Wis.) 54
Lewis & Clark 77, Pacific 75
Ripon 58, St. John's 55
Pomona-Pitzer 65, Trinity (Texas) 62
Maryville (Tenn.) 69, Savannah Art & Design 54
Ohio Northern 74, Benedictine 66
Franklin 81, Webster 50
Scranton 78, Mt. St. Mary 66
Christopher Newport 68, Mississippi College 61
Roanoke 83, Marymount 72 (OT)
Franklin & Marshall 69, Baruch 46