Langston Lions Stand Tall as Last HBCU Standing in NAIA Tournament

The Langston Lions kept their championship dreams alive with a hard-fought 73-65 victory over Bethel (TN) in the opening round of the NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament, earning their place in the Round of 16.

The victory was particularly meaningful as Langston now carries the banner for HBCU basketball on the national stage, remaining as the last HBCU team standing in the tournament after the other eight men's and women's basketball teams from historically Black institutions fell in their respective opening-round contests.

Orlando Thomas led the Lions' offensive charge, pouring in a team-high 22 points on 60% shooting while knocking down four three-pointers.

Weathering the Storm

The Lions demonstrated their resilience throughout the contest, controlling much of the first half and building leads as large as 11 points. However, a late first-half cold spell tested their mettle, as Langston went nearly four minutes without a field goal, allowing Bethel to trim the deficit and head into halftime trailing by seven.

The shooting struggles continued into the second half, with the Lions missing their first three shots and watching Bethel cut the lead to just four points, and eventually to a one-possession game. But Langston's championship pedigree shone through as they consistently found answers to every Bethel scoring run, never surrendering the lead on their path to victory.

Looking Ahead

The Lions now advance to face a challenging opponent in the second round: 12-seed Eastern Oregon, which pulled off an impressive upset of 5-seed LSU Alexandria with an 89-78 overtime victory.

As the lone HBCU representative remaining in the tournament, Langston carries the hopes and pride of the entire HBCU community as they continue their quest for a national championship.

Originally reported by HBCU Sports.