The University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team overcame a shaky start in the program’s first trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals to defeat Trinity College (CT) on Saturday night in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Eagles fought back after going down double digits, scoring the final 10 points of the game in a 64-61 victory over the top-ranked and defending national champion Trinity Bantams.
Now 29-3 on the season, the Eagles advance to the national championship game on Sunday, April 5 against Emory University at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sophomore Kye Robinson led the Eagles with 21 points, making four field goals and going 12-12 from the free throw line. Read more about how UMW Men’s Basketball Topped #1 Trinity to Advance to the NCAA Division III National Championship Game.
UMW men’s basketball team was competing in the NCAA Division III semifinals for the first time in program history. They defeated the University of Chicago 81-73 late Thursday night in Fort Wayne to advance. The Eagles headed into Saturday’s matchup ranked fifth in the country in Division III, with a 9-3 record against opponents that advanced to the NCAA tournament.
In Thursday’s quarterfinal game versus the University of Chicago, junior Jay Randall led the team in scoring with 22 points, shooting 10-15 from the floor. Other top scorers included sophomore Ulysses Young with 13, Robinson with 12, and junior Jadon Burgess with 11. Robinson and junior Kaden Bates each had four rebounds.
The Eagles had previously defeated Wisconsin-La Crosse 73-68 in the sectional round last Saturday in front of an energetic home crowd at Ron Rosner Arena in UMW’s Anderson Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In that game, Robinson scored a game-high 35 points and added 11 rebounds to lead UMW to the victory during a stand-out season that has seen him recently garnering several accolades. He was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, which is national recognition for the best players in small-college men’s basketball. He was also named the 2025-26 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and received National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America Honors after averaging nearly 25 points per game.
The Eagles are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, including their third in the last four years, and hosted NCAA tournament action for the second time in program history. 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.
Fans can find ticket details, streaming information and the latest updates at UMWEagles.com.
Leave a Reply