DALLAS — March Madness is getting underway soon, but the City of Dallas already boasts a college basketball national champion.
Paul Quinn College won the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championship on Thursday, beating Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo 80-69 in Petersburg, Virginia.
Ja'Mare Redus led Paul Quinn with 18 points and Henry Hampton added 17, but the victory was by no means a foregone conclusion. Paul Quinn trailed Bryant & Stratton by two points with 6:33 left in the game. But then the Tigers went on a tear, going on a 15-2 run to end the game.
Paul Quinn, which is located off Simpson Stuart Road in southern Dallas, is an Historically Black College and University with about 600 students. The basketball team competes in the USCAA, which consists of small colleges across the country.
The win on Thursday night capped a comeback season for Paul Quinn, which did not compete in 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, Paul Quinn debuted a stunning new court for its team to play upon, and then proceeded to go 26-2 on the season, with their only losses coming to LSU-Shreveport and Xavier University in Louisiana.
The championship win is yet another accomplishment for Paul Quinn, and not just on the court.
The college has undergone extensive renovations in recent years. Last summer, Paul Quinn debuted new buildings, fresh amenities and expanded academic programs.
"We had a plan,” President Michael Sorrell said during a mini-tour around Paul Quinn College that he offered WFAA last year. "The plan was to bring people back to a completely transformed experience."
