Preview: Mount Marty Lancers at Doane Tigers

CRETE, Neb. (Interstat) — Two men’s NAIA basketball teams with identical records and a recent nail-biter in their history will meet Wednesday when the Mount Marty Lancers visit the Doane Tigers.

The game is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. at the Haddix Center.

Both teams enter at 7-9 overall. In their first meeting this season on Dec. 17, Doane edged Mount Marty 68-65 in Yankton, S.D., setting the stage for a tight rematch.

Mount Marty arrives with momentum from a 74-66 road win at Briar Cliff on Saturday. The Lancers are led by guard Deegan Williams, who scored 16 points and dished four assists in that victory. Over his last four games, Williams is averaging 8.5 points and 3.3 assists.

Doane looks to rebound from a 77-58 loss at No. 3-ranked Dordt. The Tigers will lean on guard Trevon Beckman, who has been a consistent scoring threat. Beckman poured in 28 points, five rebounds and five assists in a one-point loss to Waldorf on Jan. 10 and is averaging 16.4 points over his last five contests.

For Mount Marty, Sutton Arend and Jake Jensen provided crucial support alongside Williams in the Briar Cliff win, combining for 26 points and 11 rebounds. Doane’s Casen Chaney, who had 13 points and six rebounds against Dordt, will be a key interior presence.

The matchup features two teams seeking to break a .500 logjam in the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings. Mount Marty has shown resilience on the road, winning two of its last three away games. Doane aims to protect its home court, where it last played a 63-point victory over Midland on Jan. 14.

Following this game, Mount Marty hosts Waldorf on Saturday. Doane remains at home to face Morningside (Iowa) on Saturday.