Minneapolis, Minn. — The men's basketball team pulled out an 84–72 victory over Bob Jones to advance to the NCCAA Division II National Championship game on Friday.

Bob Jones opened the game on an 8–0 run before Crown answered with eight straight to tie it with just under 16 minutes left in the first half. The teams traded runs again as Bob Jones scored five unanswered, followed by a 7–0 Crown burst. The rest of the half stayed mostly even until the Polars closed on a 13–4 run to take a 39–29 lead into halftime.

The second half featured more back‑and‑forth play. Bob Jones used an 8–0 run with just under 10 minutes remaining to cut the margin to one, then took a 61–60 lead with seven minutes left. Crown immediately responded, regained the lead, and held a slight cushion before a 6–0 run pushed the advantage back to 10 with 1:14 to play. The Polars controlled the final minute to secure the 84–72 win.

Anthony Knight led Crown with 26 points, adding 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Parker Behne scored 16 points and went 4‑for‑9 from three. Tyler Smith continued to fill the stat sheet with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 blocks, finishing just one assist shy of his third triple‑double of the season. Colby Deluce added 10 points, including key baskets late, while Tristan Youngblood also scored 10 and grabbed 9 rebounds. Donovan Washington nearly became the sixth Polar in double figures, finishing with 9 points on 4‑of‑6 shooting.

Crown will face UMAC rival North Central University for the fourth time this season in the NCCAA Division II National Championship at 4 p.m. Saturday.