FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team punched its ticket to Monday night's Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament Championship game, and an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, with a 71-49 victory over Concordia University-Ann Arbor Saturday afternoon at the Schaefer Center.
 
Grant Smith led the scoring effort for the Warriors with 13 points and six assists, while Rog Stein finished the contest with a double-double, good for 11 points and 17 rebounds. Cory McKinney and Josh Kline each tallied 12 points in the victory.
 
The Warriors were able to hold their opponents scoreless in the first four minutes of play, resulting in a 11-0 run out of the gate. They would continue to add to their lead to jump out 20-7 at the halfway point of the opening half. A layup, and the rewarded follow-up free throw, from Smith would give the Orange and Black their largest lead of the half, up 30-14 with just under four minutes remaining. This lead would remain into the break with Tech on top of the Cardinals 34-21.
 
The dominating performance would continue into the second half of play for Tech as they inched closer to playing for the tournament title. A pair of free throws from Smith at the 13:56 mark helped to grow the lead to 44-23 for the Orange and Black. Lucas Lehrman would contribute two to set the score at 67-35 with just under six minutes left to play in the contest. With the 71-49 final score as the whistle sounded, the Cardinals season would give way as the Warriors move on for a chance at the conference tournament crown.
 
Tech (20-8) will travel to Rochester Hills, Mich. on Monday to take on the tournament's top-seed, Rochester University, for the chance to earn the conference tournament title. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Garth Pleasant Arena.