NAPERVILLE, ILL. – MARCH 1st, 2019 – The Chatham University men's basketball team competed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this evening. Chatham (19-10) was making its first appearance in the Division III Championship. After holding a 25-24 advantage over the Cardinals at halftime, the Cougars would ultimately fall 77-48 to the #15 North Central Cardinals. The largest lead for Chatham came at 10:44 in the first half, when they were up 10-8. The Cougars came out strong, forcing their opponent to just shoot 1-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half. North Central would come out strong in the second half and control the pace of the game for the final 20 minutes. 

Senior Will Sandherr scored a team-high 16 points. Sandherr added eight rebounds. Junior Buzz Walker finished with nine points tonight. Nasir Alexander picked up eight points and four rebounds. First-year Shawn Erceg grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, with six points. Senior Isaiah Brown recorded four points, two assists and one block. Senior Anthony Bomar tallied four rebounds and two points. Senior Devin Stedman chipped in two rebounds and two points. First-year Ray Sandherr added one assist and one steal. 

This team is the first Chatham team in school history to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Congratulations Cougars on a great season!