POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Mount Mercy's bid to become the most successful men's basketball team in school history fell a little short Friday night.

Bishop Robinson poured in 31 points as Davenport University of Michigan trimmed the Mustangs, 70-67, in the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Division II national tournament in Point Lookout, Mo.

Ian Matos led Mount Mercy with 17 points. Alex Houston scored 13, James Boonstoppel 12 and Kyle Lamaak 10. Dondre Osborne finished with nine points, five rebounds and four assists for the Mustangs, who ended the season with a 27-5 record.

Robinson, a 6-foot-3 forward, shot 11-for-14 from the field and was 9-for-13 at the foul line.

Mount Mercy, making its third trip to the national tournament, was hoping to reach the Elite 8 for the first time. The Mustangs reached the Sweet 16 in 1996 and made it there again this season, but Coach Paul Gavin was hoping to take the club to another level.

"We've talked to the guys about that," Gavin said before Friday's game. "I told them, 'If you want to be the best ever, you've got to win at least two games down here.'"

The Mustangs defeated Cal Maritime in the opening round Thursday by three points, then fell by those same three points in the second round.

Davenport was seeded No. 8 for the 32-team tournament and Mount Mercy was seeded No. 9, so the game was viewed essentially as a tossup. If the Mustangs had prevailed, they would have faced top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan in the quarterfinals Saturday night. Instead, Davenport earned that right.

"In the back of our mind, any coach and any player would love the opportunity to playing against the current No. 1 and the defending national champion as a benchmark for our program," said Gavin.

For two straight nights, Mount Mercy's games at the national tournament began at approximately 10 p.m. after being scheduled for 9:15. The Mustangs had the last game on the schedule both nights and the tournament ran behind schedule.

The Mustangs trailed at halftime, 35-34.

Gavin was proud of his team for winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference titles this year and making the national tournament in a season marred by tragedy and injuries. Danny DeBacker, a senior on this year's club, was killed in a car accident before the season began, shaking the team.

Da'Quan Moore, an experienced point guard, was lost at mid-season with a knee injury. Jake Misener (shoulder injuries) and Ben Struss (knee injury) continued to play at less than 100 percent.

SATURDAY'S QUARTERFINALS

1 p.m. - No. 3 Cornerstone, Mich. (30-5) vs No. 11 Saint Francis, Ind. (27-7)
3 p.m. - Southern Oregon (26-9) vs No. 2 Embry-Riddle, Fla. (34-1)
5 p.m. - No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan, S.D. (30-4) vs No. 4 College of Idaho (30-5)
7 p.m. - No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan (33-2) vs Davenport, Mich. (29-6)

FRIDAY'S BOXSCORE

DAVENPORT (70): Hai 0 0-0 0, Burnett 4 5-7 13, Gamble 1 1-1 3, Webbert 1 1-2 3, Rich 2 0-0 6, Drew 1 0-0 3, Czerniawski 0 0-0 0, McCloud 1 2-2 4, Robinson 11 9-13 31, Jordan 1 4-4 7. Totals 22 22-29 70.

MOUNT MERCY (67): Goines 0 0-0 0, Houston 4 4-4 13, Osborne 4 0-1 9, Matos 6 2-5 17, Boonstoppel 3 4-5 12, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Misener 1 0-0 3, Struss 1 0-0 3, Lamaak 3 4-4 10. Totals 22 14-19 67.

Halftime - Davenport 35, Mount Mercy 34. 3-point goals - Davenport 4 (Rich 2, Drew 1, Jordan 1), Mount Mercy 9 (Matos 3, Boonstoppel 2, Houston 1, Osborne 1, Misener 1, Struss 1).