Daily Dive: October 25 | No. 2 FHU and No. 3 ACU ESCAPE, Carroll Stuns HIU and Ty Price Goes for 45

Daily Dive October 25, 2026: FHU and ACU escape; Carroll stuns No. 20 HIU, 74–70. — Carroll knocked off No. 20 Hope International, 74–70. Photo via Carroll Athletics. NAIA Hoops Report graphic.

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Two national contenders survived by a single point. Carroll went on the road and knocked off a Top 20 team. SUNO made a statement in New Orleans. And a redshirt freshman poured in 45 points in a losing effort.

Opening weekend is giving us plenty to talk about. Let’s dive into Saturday’s NAIA hoops!

No. 2 Freed-Hardeman ESCAPES Marian, 76–75

The Lions had to work for this one. No. 2 Freed-Hardeman erased a 13-point deficit and survived Marian, 76–75, to open its season.

Taveon Comage made two free throws with 23 seconds remaining to put the Lions in front for good. Rico Yarbrough led FHU with 21 points, Comage added 14 and Pounders scored 10. The Lions forced 20 turnovers to help turn the game around.

Marian pushed one of the country’s best to the final possession. FHU leaves with the win, but the Knights made the Lions earn every bit of it. Official recap.

No. 3 Arizona Christian survives at the buzzer!

No. 3 Arizona Christian 80, RV Lewis-Clark State 79. A one-point win for FHU, then another for ACU in the late window. Tayvion Wilson hit the game-winning three with one second showing in the official play-by-play, finishing an ACU comeback from an 11-point deficit. Wilson scored 17 points and Shaud Bradley added 16.

LC State led 79–76 after a basket with 34 seconds left. Bradley split two free throws with 18 seconds remaining, ACU kept the possession on an offensive rebound, and Wilson delivered the shot that decided it. ESCAPE is the right word for this one. Box score and play-by-play.

WATCH: ACU’s game-winner on NAIAHoops Instagram · Official game recap.

Carroll takes down No. 20 Hope International

Carroll 74, No. 20 Hope International 70. The Saints followed Friday’s win over Stanton with a road upset of the Royals. That is a strong way to finish a California trip and a result that belongs near the top of the opening-week conversation.

Isaac Round scored 23 points, with 16 before halftime. Drew Jones scored all 20 of his points in the second half and added six assists; Kellen Harrison supplied 14. Carroll had led by 13 in the second half before HIU used a 17–2 run to go ahead, 58–56. Late threes from Round and Jones and free throws from Jones and Bystrom helped the Saints finish the job and move to 2–0. Official recap.

Big win in New Orleans: SUNO tops XULA

SUNO 69, Xavier (LA) 56. The Knights took the New Orleans matchup by 13 points, winning the rebounding battle 43–24 and holding XULA to 20 second-half points. Jaylon Hicks scored 17, Dorian Booker had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Jermaine Lawrence finished with 12 points and 15 boards. Big win for SUNO!

Official box score.

Top 25 scoreboard: Saturday, October 24

Rankings are from the October 21 NAIA preseason coaches poll. RV means receiving votes, not a numbered Top 25 ranking.

No. 2 Freed-Hardeman 76, Marian 75. Official result.
No. 3 Arizona Christian 80, Lewis-Clark State 79. Official result.
T-No. 11 Oklahoma Wesleyan 90, Science and Arts 78. Official result.
No. 15 Eastern Oregon 94, Embry-Riddle (AZ) 67. Official result.
No. 18 Georgia Gwinnett 96, Bryan 78. Official result.
Carroll 74, No. 20 Hope International 70. Official result.
No. 25 Morningside 108, Mount Mercy 77. Official result.

These are the ranked-team results in our verified Saturday guide. Visit Scores & Schedules for the broader slate.

Close-game central: decided by 10 or fewer

Beyond the headline games, Saturday delivered plenty of tight finishes. Here are the verified games in our guide decided by 10 points or fewer:

Northwestern (IA) 77, Kansas Wesleyan 67. Official result.
Graceland 77, Waldorf 72. Official result.
William Woods 82, Saint Mary (KS) 78. Official result.
Freed-Hardeman 76, Marian 75. Official result.
Bethany (KS) 85, Dickinson State 77. Official result.
Avila 83, UHSP 73. Official result.
Carroll 74, Hope International 70. Official result.
Kentucky Christian 84, Cumberland (TN) 82. Official result.
Warner 81, Goshen 78. Official result.
Bellevue 58, Doane 57. Official result.
Harris-Stowe 98, Brescia 91. Official result.
Arizona Christian 80, Lewis-Clark State 79. Official result.

Redshirt freshman spotlight: Ty Price drops 45

Redshirt freshman Ty Price scored 45 points for Brescia in the Bearcats’ 98–91 loss to Harris-Stowe. Price went 14-for-24 from the field, 6-for-11 from three and a perfect 11-for-11 at the free-throw line in 35 minutes.

Brescia lists Price as a redshirt freshman on its official roster. That is a huge individual night, even with the result going the other way. Harris-Stowe got 21 points from Umar Lawson and 20 points plus five steals from Nashawn Davis. Brescia’s Xavi Tirado added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Official box score.

Saturday’s verified standout performers

These lines come from available official boxes and recaps. This is a verified standout roundup, not a complete national leaderboard: several games still lack a usable final box score.

More scoring standouts

Justin Coleman, UHSP: 33 points, five rebounds and five steals in the 83–73 loss at Avila. He shot 10-for-17 from the floor and 10-for-11 at the line. Box score.
Trent Thompson, Hesston: 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals in an 87–74 win over Randall. Box score.
Alex Wilcoxson, Morningside: 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, including 5-for-7 from three. Tyson Odvody added 21 points; Trey Bryte had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Brayden Dinkla handed out eight assists in the 108–77 win over Mount Mercy. Box score.

Curtis Stovall III, Bethany (KS): 31 points and five rebounds. Stovall went 10-for-18 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from three in the Swedes’ 85–77 win over Dickinson State. Box score.
Robert Harris, Point: 27 points. Cahlib Edwards added 21 in Point’s 99–80 loss at Webber. Box score.
Peyton Byrd, Marian: 22 points and 10 rebounds. Kody Clancy scored 21 and Josiah Gustin grabbed 11 rebounds as Marian pushed No. 2 FHU to a one-point finish. Box score.

EJ Reese, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: 29 points and nine rebounds in a 106–91 loss at Indiana Tech. Branden Northern scored 23 and Trey Yoder added 20 points and eight rebounds for Tech. Official stats.
Brennan Reid, Northwestern (IA): 24 points and six rebounds, shooting 10-for-14 in the 77–67 win at Kansas Wesleyan. Official stats.
Marquis Toliver, Mayville State: 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Toliver shot 9-for-12 from the field against Providence University College. Box score.

On the glass and setting the table

Brandon Trilli, Spring Arbor: 20 points and 15 rebounds. Branden King added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Connor Bush scored 20 in the 81–66 win over Michigan-Dearborn. Box score.
Kaamil Domingo, Graceland: nine points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the 77–72 win over Waldorf. Box score.
Dominique Harper, William Woods: 19 points and 13 rebounds. Mark Onyejekwe added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Quincy Linton scored 20 in the Owls’ 82–78 win over Saint Mary (KS). Official stats.

Kenny Ellis, Cumberland (TN): 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. A triple-double in Cumberland’s 84–82 loss to Kentucky Christian. Box score.
Jermaine Lawrence, SUNO: 12 points and 15 rebounds. Thirteen of those boards came on the defensive glass. Dorian Booker added 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaylon Hicks scored 17 with eight boards. Box score.
Patrick Johnson, Georgia Gwinnett: 19 points and 14 rebounds. Mario Hill Jr. scored a game-high 21, and Devontre Chaney supplied 10 rebounds and seven assists in the Grizzlies’ 96–78 win over Bryan. GGC is 2–0 and has scored 96 in each win. Box score. Official results.
Brandon Williams, Kentucky Christian: 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Keaton Baird added 19 points and eight rebounds as the Knights edged Cumberland, 84–82. Box score.

Michael Nance, Dickinson State: 12 points and 13 rebounds against Bethany. Box score.
Justin Gill, Mission: 12 points and 13 rebounds against MidAmerica Nazarene. Box score.

Esteban Oliveras, Lindsey Wilson: 17 points and seven assists. Montreat’s Owen Stewart finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Official stats.

Toilet paper flies, JBU rolls

There is nothing quite like this tradition. John Brown beat Ecclesia, 107–58, in its 43rd annual Toilet Paper Game.

Senior transfer Marko Malekinusic scored off an offensive rebound at the 19:01 mark to send the toilet paper flying. The celebration brings an automatic technical foul, but it is part of a JBU tradition that dates to 1984.

There is a community side to the night, too. Kimberly-Clark supplied 4,000 rolls, with half exchanged for canned-food donations. The donations and remaining rolls went to the Manna Center. A memorable opening basket and a big win for the Golden Eagles. JBU’s official story.

First wins and new beginnings

Justin Tucek has his first career head-coaching win! Georgia Southern–East Georgia beat ABAC, 90–63, for its first victory in the Golden Eagles’ new era. The Eagles led 52–22 at halftime and put five players in double figures, led by Kyleston Gill’s 17 points and four threes.

It is also the program’s first win in its inaugural NAIA season, following the transition from East Georgia State to Georgia Southern–East Georgia. That is not the same as the first win in the entire history of East Georgia basketball. NAIA membership announcement. Official recap.

Grant Burns, Freed-Hardeman: The first-year FHU head coach opened with a 76–75 win over Marian, his first victory leading the Lions. Official season preview · Game recap.
Hudson Welty, MidAmerica Nazarene: MNU beat Mission, 89–75, to give Welty his first win leading the Pioneers. Welty previously coached Southeastern, so this is a first-at-MNU milestone, not his first career win. Official recap · Box score.
Alex Slawson, Avila: The Eagles opened with an 83–73 win over UHSP, Slawson’s first victory leading Avila after his promotion in May. Coaching announcement · Official schedule.
Ryan Kardok, Webber International: The Warriors beat Point, 99–80, in their season opener, giving Kardok his first win at Webber. Official recap · Box score.

John Pigatti, Spring Arbor: The Cougars beat Michigan-Dearborn, 81–66, in their season opener, giving Pigatti his first win at Spring Arbor after his August appointment. This is a new-school milestone for a coach with a long previous head-coaching career. Official recap · Official results.

From the NAIA to Maine: Kaleb Lowery gets drafted

Kaleb Lowery is headed to Maine Celtics training camp. Maine selected Lowery No. 23 overall in the 2026 NBA G League Draft on Saturday.

Lowery was a three-time NAIA All-American at The Master’s before moving to Nevada. He was included on Maine’s training camp roster, with camp beginning Tuesday at the Portland Expo. This is a G League draft selection and a chance to compete for a spot, not an NBA Draft selection or a guaranteed final roster place.

The Master’s All-America announcement · Maine Celtics’ official announcement · Maine’s announcement on X.

Keep the schedule and watch guide handy

Looking for the next game? Bookmark our Scores & Schedules page and the October 22–30 schedule and Links to Watch guide. Find the matchups, check the results and get to the available broadcasts from one place.

Week 1 nominations: send them in by this evening!

Several nominations are already in for our Week 1 Recap by Categories. Keep them coming through this evening, Sunday, October 25.

Who deserves Best Win, Upset, Best Game, MVP, Defensive MVP, Coach, Freshman, Sniper or Rodman recognition? Send the player or team, your category and a box score or clip. Email naiahoopsreport@gmail.com or DM @NAIAHoopsReport. Give us the case, not just the name!

NAIA hoops. Good at basketball.