Box Score INDIANAPOLIS - On Easter Sunday, the Lander Bearcats fell one win short of a men's basketball national championship, their remarkable post-season run ending on the sport's biggest stage.

Lander's 15-game winning streak ended as the Bearcats lost to Gannon University 84-61 Sunday afternoon in the NCAA Division II national championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. The game was nationally televised on CBS.

The Bearcats lost for only the second time in their last 23 games, finishing the best season in school history at 30-6.

It's the first national title for Gannon (34-3). The Golden Knights from Erie, Pa., took control of the game with a 23-6 run in the first half behind a relentless full-court press and suffocating interior defense. Their lead only got bigger in the second half.

It was an amazing season for Lander, which was picked to finish only fifth in the Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches poll after going just 15-14 last season. 

But the Blue and Gold defied those expectations, winning both the PBC regular season and tournament championships in 2025-26 and then sweeping three games in the NCAA Southeast Regional to reach only its second Elite Eight in program history (1999). 

Lander edged Daemen to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history, and then scored a double-digit victory as an underdog against defending national champion Nova Southeastern in the semifinals in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Leading this journey to the national championship game were three returning players with much larger roles this season (Greyson Pritzl, Terry Leonard Jr. and Jake Tringone), two super freshmen (high school teammates Jacob Daniels and Bobby Crawford Jr.), two key transfers (Dylan Canoville and Antewan Webber Jr.), two players returning to the team after one and two-year absences (Tommy Moore and Navaughn Maise), and a former student-manager (Breon Steele).

"Congratulations to Gannon," Lander head coach Omar Wattad said. "Well-deserved championship. They beat us proper. There was no question about that. Going into the game, we knew they would press. We knew that was a big part of their identity. 

"But we really tried to hammer home how good they are in the half-court defensively," Wattad added. "I think the first half our half-court (offense) execution due to Gannon's defensive activity and physicality was porous. We made a lot of bad rim decisions. We didn't move the ball inside and out. We were a little shaky with the ball."

Wattad said he is proud of the team. "We had 30 wins. It's a very sad locker room and the reason they are sad is they put their heart out there for nine months. When you do that, you expose yourself and your emotions will come out. It's part of becoming a man."

Tringone said, "We knew what we were going to get ourselves into (against Gannon's defense). I don't think we executed our game plan in the first half. We kind of beat ourselves in the first half."

Tringone said the memories of being in Indianapolis will live on.

"This is an insane memory," Tringone said. "We are going to remember this 20, 30 years from now. It's a time you get to spend with some of your best friends. We have been extremely blessed to be here."

A big crowd came from the Greenwood community to Indianapolis to support the Bearcats.

"We have been extremely blessed to have the support of Bearcat nation. It was crazy coming out there seeing all the blue (in the stands). We really appreciate it," Tringone said.

"It was great seeing our fellow students and our families here (in Indianapolis)" Maise said. "It was really surreal. I thank them for coming out to support us"

Maise said the season was "nothing short of legendary. I love these guys. We worked day in and day out to get to this situation. I'd go to battle with these guys any day."

"We have been a close-knit group from day one," Tringone said. "It's been love and passion and an amazing journey. We're so blessed to be around such great dudes, from managers to Coach Omar and everybody in between. It's been a great ride. With great people, you can accomplish great things."

Wattad agreed with Maise's assessment that the season has been nothing short of legendary.

"I've gotten texts from former Lander Bearcats who played in the 70s," Wattad said. "I have gotten texts from people that I don't know in the community that now I do know. The outpouring of love has been amazing. Everybody is going to remember 2025-2026. It will never be forgotten. It's the best season in school history and one of the best seasons in Peach Belt history. I'm so fortunate to be the coach of these young men during this historic run."

In Sunday's championship finale, Canoville posted a double-double leading the Bearcats with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. 

PBC Freshman of the Year Daniels scored 11 points while leading Lander with six assists. Pritzl was held to 11 points after a sizzling post-season scoring run. Pritzl and Daniels each made the All-NCAA Tournament team.

All-American Pace Prosser had a tremendous game for Golden Knights with 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Lander forced Gannon into 0-for-8 shooting at the beginning of the game and built a 9-5 lead behind three baskets by Daniels. 

But the Golden Knights used runs of 15-0 and 8-0 as they led 28-15 inside the five-minute mark. As the Bearcats fell behind, they committed multiple turnovers and missed several highly contested shots in the paint.

LU trailed 37-21 at halftime.

The first-half statistics were abysmal for Lander, which made only nine of 34 shots from the floor (27 percent) and missed all six attempts from behind the 3-point arc. Gannon had 15 points off nine LU turnovers. The Bearcats missed approximately 15 shots at the rim in the first half.

McKenzie Morgan's 3-pointer gave the Golden Knights a 43-22 advantage with 18:42 left.

Pritzl heated up with a trio of 3-pointers, including a trey which cut LU's deficit to 49-35 with 14:49 left. But the Bearcats couldn't keep up with Gannon's scoring pace as the game began slipping away. 

Lucas Morgan's 3-pointer pushed the Golden Knights lead to 61-38 with 11 minutes to go. The lead grew to 66-40 with 10 minutes left.

By the time Canoville finally got his first dunk of the game for the Bearcats, they trailed 75-55 with five minutes to go.