No. 14 Trailblazers roll into Sweet Sixteen with first round win over No. 19 Three Rivers

*Photos courtesy of Kristy Ehart Photography and the NJCAA*

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The No. 14-seed Vincennes University Trailblazers opened their run at the 2025 NJCAA Division I National tournament Saturday night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan.

The Trailblazers squared off against No. 19 seed Three Rivers College from Poplar Bluff, Mo. and came away with the opening round win over the Raiders 69-51.

Vincennes got the offense going early in their first round matchup, using an early 8-0 run to help build a quick 15-9 advantage over the Raiders.

Three Rivers rallied back and cut the VU lead down to one at 18-17 midway through the first half, before the Blazers answered with an 11-2 scoring run to take their first double digit lead of the night.

The two teams would traded baskets to close out the first half, with Three Rivers getting the final shot with Vincennes heading into the halftime break leading 32-25 over the Raiders.

Coming out of the locker room the Trailblazers looked to get some distance on the scoreboard early and again used a 12-2 scoring run to take a 48-32 lead early in the second half.

Three Rivers continued to battle down the stretch of the second half but were unable to come away with consecutive baskets with Vincennes maintaining a double-digit advantage for most of the second period.

Vincennes would close out the game strong at the free throw line, closing out the game on a 9-2 scoring run to pull away late and finish off the victory by the final score of 69-51.

The Trailblazers were led offensively Saturday night by sophomore and 2025 Region 24 Player of the Year Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) who finished his night with 18 points, seven assists, three blocks and three rebounds.

Sophomore Michael Cooper (Minneapolis, Minn.) came off the bench to add an offensive spark, finishing his night with 14 points and five rebounds.

Freshman Travelle Bryson (Anderson, S.C.) was the third VU scorer in double figures, ending his night with 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Freshman Dayton Williams (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore Bryan Akanmu (Paris, France) finished just outside of double figures in the points column, with Williams adding nine points and Akanmu adding eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Trailblazers advance to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NJCAA Division I National tournament and will face off against No. 3 seed Indian Hills Community College Monday, March 24 at 9 p.m. eastern.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (69): Bryan Akanmu 3-6 2-2 8, Lebron Thomas 4-6 9-9 18, Travelle Bryson 4-9 0-0 10, Dayton Williams 4-7 0-2 9, Hussein Elmaraghy 3-4 0-0 6, Christian Andrews 1-3 1-3 4, Taveon Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Michael Cooper 6-11 1-3 14, Ali Sakho 0-1 0-0 0, Team 25-48 13-19 69.

Three Rivers – 25   26 – 51

VU (27-4, 16-1) – 32   37 – 69

Three-point goals: VU 6 (Bryson 2, Thomas, Williams, Andrews, Cooper). Rebounds: VU 34 (Akanmu 5, Bryson 5, Elmaraghy 5, Cooper 5). Assists: VU 15 (Thomas 7). Steals: VU 5 (Thomas 2). Blocked Shots: VU 7 (Thomas 3). Turnovers: VU 12. Personal Fouls: VU 10. Fouled out: Williams.