The fifth-ranked University of Mary Washington men's basketball team overcame a shaky start and scored the final 10 points of the game in a 64-61 victory over top-ranked and defending national champion Trinity (CT) University on Saturday night in the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Eagles, now 29-3 on the season, advance to the national championship game on April 5 against Emory University.

The Eagles jumped out to an 8-2 lead, thanks in large part to a pair of three point baskets from junior Jadon Burgess. The Eagles led, 13-5, on a Jay Randall free throw with 15:45 left in the half, but Trinity then went on a 20-4 run over the next nine minutes to grab a 25-17 advantage with 6:22 to go. Trinity's lead swelled to as many as 16, before UMW scored the final five points of the first half to trim the margin to 37-26 at intermission.

A 15-4 Mary Washington run to open the second half knotted the score at 41-41, with 11:36 left. The Eagles would grab their first lead of the half with a layup from Randall, and a three pointer from junior Kye Robinson with 10:00 remaining upped the margin to 46-44. A 7-0 Trinity run gave the Bantams a 51-46 lead with 8:24 to go, but a 6-2 Eagle response cut the deficit to 53-52 with 5:43 on the scoreboard.

Trinity again countered with a 6-0 run, and the teams traded baskets, so the Eagles trailed by seven, at 61-54, with 3:53 remaining. Robinson connected on a pair of free throws, and following several empty trips, sophomore Ulysses Young hit a three pointer with 2:18 left. Randall hit a free throw to pull UMW to within one, and junior Kaden Bates hit a three point basket following a steal from Randall with 24 seconds left to give the Eagles a 63-61 lead. Burgess added a free throw with 10 seconds left for the final margin of victory.

Robinson led the Eagles with 21 points, making four field goals and going 12-12 from the free throw line. Randall scored 14 points, and Burgess added 12. Robinson led with nine rebounds and six assists.

Mary Washington warmed up to shoot 37% from the floor (20-54), making 7-20 three point shots and 17-22 free throws. Trinity shot 33.3% (22-66), making 7-29 three point attempts and 10-14 free throws. Trinity held a 41-37 edge in rebounding.

The Eagles advance to the national championship game against second-ranked Emory University. The game will be played on Sunday, April 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana, as part of national championship weekend for NCAA Division I, II, and III.

UMW's appearance in the national championship game is the first in men's basketball history, and the first for any team at UMW in any sport since the 1993 field hockey team. UMW's last team national championship came in women's tennis in 1991.