POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. (Box Score)- Ninth-seeded Bethel College (Ind.) battled back from a seven point, halftime deficit to defeat Friends University (Kan.) 77-67 in the opening round of the 2010 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 2010 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

Friends University, making its fourth appearance in the tournament, controlled the first half, shooting 30% from 3-point range while Bethel struggled to find the bottom of the net and hit on just 20%. The Falcons made 11-of-33 shots from the field and held Bethel to 26%.

The Falcons' biggest lead of the first half came early when Chris Jackson took the grabbed the ball off of a turnover and hit a three-pointer to go up 10-2.

In the second half, the momentum shifted into the hands of Bethel. Stephen Ward stripped the ball from Brett Steven at the 14:09 mark and took it to the other end untouched to bring the Pilots within four points. A few minutes later, Bethel took its first lead of the game with a Stephen Ward three-pointer to make it 48-45.

The struggle continued between the two teams until the end of the game when Friends was forced to foul. The Pilots hit seven of their last nine free throws to preserve the win and advance to the second round for the third straight year.

Bethel totaled four players in double figures, led by Tyler Brown with 20 points. The senior forward grabbed seven rebounds and had two assists. Ryne Lightfoot had 13 points, four boards and two assists. Tony Benford produced 10 points, five rebounds and Stephen Ward netted 10 as well.

Jackson led the Falcons with 30 points, seven boards while also dishing out four assists. Romar Jones and Mike Hyde also scored in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Friends ends the season with a 25-7 overall record.

Bethel, who improves to 28-6 and an 8-1 first round record in the NAIA Championship Tournament, will face Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Friday at 8:30 a.m. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 17, 2009.