KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Louisiana State University at Shreveport fought its way into the second round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship with a 71-69 victory against the University of Science and Arts (Okla.) Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium.

Jared Stevenson scored a game-high 20 points to lead the way for the No. 4-seeded Pilots, who won their sixth consecutive game. LSUS is now 31-2 overall and will play on Friday at 10:45 a.m. CST in a tournament second-round contest. The Pilots will face Azusa Pacific University (Calif.), a rematch of last year's first-round contest.

After trailing 38-34 at the half, LSUS was able to pull in front for good in the closing moments. Stevenson hit a shot with 3:11 to play that gave the Pilots a 69-67 lead. Following a Science and Arts turnover, J'Quincy Jones scored to push the LSUS lead to 71-67.

Thomas Woods answered on the Drovers' next possession with a basket to trim the deficit to 71-69 with 1:37 on the clock. Science and Arts had two possessions in the final minute of play, but could not connect on a pair of three-point attempts, including one at the final buzzer.

Jamon Morris added a double-double for LSUS with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Jones posted 11 points while Travis Cash collected 10 points for the Pilots. In addition to his 20 points, Stevenson had a game-high four steals.

Woods and DeAngelo Alexander paced a balanced attack for the Drovers with 14 points each. Alexander pulled down a team-leading 12 rebounds. Dexter Williams and Jorge Parra each had 10 points for Science and Arts, which closes its season with an overall record of 17-16.