The Culver-Stockton College men's basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament with a 97-85 victory over defending national champion Concordia (Calif.) College Friday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo.

The Wildcats used another strong second half performance to slip past the Eagles and advance to the round of eight where they will face Georgetown (Ky.) College Saturday at 4 p.m. The Tigers advanced to tomorrow's game with an 80-67 victory over John Brown (Ark.) University.

C-SC opened the game better from the 3-point stripe than they did in its opening game against Lewis-Clark Thursday when they made just one trey in the first half. C-SC drilled four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game to take a 24-16 lead.

The Wildcats extended it lead to as many as 13 points in the half before the Eagles went on an 18-4 run to take a 34-33 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the half.

Austin Keaton, who didn't score a point in the first half Thursday, drained a 3-pointer to give the lead back to the Wildcats. Both teams traded baskets the rest of the way and when the half ended saw Concordia leading 41-40.

Then the second half began.

The Wildcats, who scored a season-high 63 points in the second half of Thursday's win, nearly matched that output with a 57 point outburst after the break Friday.

The two teams traded baskets to start the second half before Keaton gave the Wildcats the lead for good on a drive with 19 minutes to play.

The game was in doubt for the next eight minutes as the Wildcats couldn't shake the pesky Eagles. And the lead was one at 60-59 when DeLaun Frazier drained a 3-pointer with 11:48 left in the game.

That is when the Wildcats went to work.

C-SC outscored Concordia 14-4 over the next four minutes, spurred by a 3-pointer from Marshawn Norris and James Johnson's second dunk of the game. The Eagles tried to stay close with two baskets an a free throw, but Keaton connected with a jumper and Alen Hadzimahovic it back-to-back baskets to up the Wildcat lead to 74-64 with 7:49 left in the contest.

The Eagles cut that deficit down to seven with a 3-pointer on its next possession, but C-SC upped the lead to 12 on another Keaton basket and a trey from Norris. Concordia never got any closer than nine points the rest of the way as the Wildcats secured their first quarterfinal berth.

Keaton led the way with 25 points on eight-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-9 from beyond the ac. He was also six-for-six at the foul line.

Norris chipped in with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Hadzimahovic tallied 19 points and eight rebounds. CJ Adams was the fourth Wildcat player in double figures, finishing with 11 markers.

Jermaine Jones also turned in a big floor game for the Wildcats, leading the winners on the glass with 14 caroms. The Wildcats out-rebounded the Eagles 43-32.