SE Set to Face Wolves in Regional Opener

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern will open play in the 2019 NCAA Division II Tournament when it travels to the Central Regional on March 16 as the seven seed to take on second-seeded No. 19 Northern State at 2:30 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.
 
The Savage Storm wrapped up the regular season with a second-place finish in Great American Conference play and added a runner-up finish in the conference tournament to finish the season 22-7 and earn its first NCAA berth since 2007.
 
SE goes into the postseason on a roll despite a loss in the GAC Championship game to Southern Nazarene.  The Storm have put together 13 wins in their last 15 outings, with the two losses coming by a combined five points.  That run also included a 10-game winning streak to earn the number two seed in the GAC tourney which was snapped by the title game loss.
 
Southeastern continues to be paced by the GAC Player of the Year Kevin Buckingham who is averaging 20.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg, ranking him in the top three in the conference in both categories.
 
He is joined in the front court by Kellen Manek who earned honorable mention All-GAC honors while averaging 13.6 ppg and shooting 41.3 percent from beyo0nd the arc.
 
They are aided by a back court tandem that ranks as the only pair of teammates in the Central region averaging more than five assists per game, with Jett Jobe handing out 5.7 per outing while putting up 12.8 ppg, while Adam Dworsky is adding 5.2 per contest while averaging 9.8 ppg. Both took home All-GAC honors with Jobe earning second team recognition while Dworsky joined Manek among the honorable mentions.
 
SE is second in the league in scoring with 80.8 ppg and is allowing 70.1 per contest, providing a 10.7 ppg margin of victory.
 
The Storm move the ball well, ranking first in the league and fifth in the nation in assists per game with 18.7 per game and are knocking down shots at a 47.8 percent clip, including hitting 10.8 threes per game which rank 16^th nationally.
 
The Storm open with Northern State who comes into the postseason as the second seed in the region and ranked 19^th nationally after winning the NSIC Championship.
 
The Wolves are 26-6 overall on the year and averaging 78.8 ppg while allowing 69.5 per outing.
 
NSU is led by Ian Smith who is putting up 13.6 ppg to pace a foursome of double-digit scorers. He also leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per game and is handing out a team-best 5.4 assists per game.
 
Gabe King checks in with 11.6 ppg, while Dustin Decker is right behind at 11.1 per outing, with parker Fox adding 10.7 per game.
 
A win in the first round would earn the Savage Storm a second round matchup with the winner between third-seeded Washburn and sixth-seeded Missouri Southern State, with that second-round contest set for March 17 at 5 p.m.
 
The regional title game is set for 7 p.m. on March 19.