Four players scored 20-or-more points each to lead the hot-shooting Mount Vernon Nazarene men’s basketball team to a 102-85 victory over Huntington in Crossroads League play on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon.
Jevon Knox scored 24 points; and Clay Hilliard, Kyle Kegley and Kade Ruegsegger each scored 20 points to lead the Cougars (5-9, 5-6), who made 16 of 31 (51.6%) from 3-point range and shot 53.5% from the floor.
Ruegsegger, who made five 3s, pulled down 12 rebounds; and Kegley added 11 boards for MVNU, which won the rebounding battle 45-27.
Knox dished out a game-best eight assists and Hilliard added seven helpers for the Cougars, who led 53-37 at the break. Knox added seven rebounds.
Eric McLaughlin was also solid for MVNU with 12 points, six boards and five assists off the bench.
Hank Pulver went for 19 points and four rebounds; Mitchell Wilson had 18 points; Zach Goodline added 15 points, six assists and four rebounds; and Spencer Ballinger chipped in 13 points and six boards to pace the Foresters (13-7, 6-6).
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Host Huntington went on a 10-2 run in the third quarter to create distance and MVNU never recovered, falling 68-49 in Crossroads League play on Saturday, Jan. 30, in Huntington.
Dazia Drake had 23 points and five rebounds; and Sam Vaughn went for 14 points, 18 boards and seven assists to pace the Foresters (9-6, 6-5), who pulled away with a 19-8 fourth quarter.
Taylor Gregory had 13 points and four rebounds; and Rylee Pireu had 12 points, six steals and five rebounds to lead the Cougars (9-9, 6-5).
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Kyler Dickey and Kasey Keith each finished first in the shot put to lead the MVNU track and field team at the Indiana Tech-hosted Warrior Invite on Friday, Jan. 29, and Saturday, Jan. 30, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Keith's efforts earned her Crossroads League Athlete of the Week.
Dickey claimed first place with a throw of 15.68 meters in the men’s shot put, and Keith was first in the women’s shot put with a throw of 13.15 meters for the Cougars.
The meet was not scored as a team competition.
Macy Weaver took second in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 11 minutes, 8.93 seconds; and Morgan Forney (3:13.00) was third in the 1,000-meter run.
BOWLING
Hannah Vaughn was All-Tournament team, leading the MVNU women’s bowling team to a seventh-place finish out of 10 teams at the Ohio Bowling Conference No. 1 on Saturday, Jan. 30, at HP Lanes in Columbus.
The women’s team rolled a 3,675 to finish behind first-place Northern Kentucky (4,119).
The men’s bowling team finished seventh (3,901) out of nine teams, behind tournament winner Northwestern (Ohio), which rolled a 5,183 to claim top honors.
