The Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars men’s basketball team started the season off on the winning side of things Oct. 27, defeating Denison University by a final score of 69-66.
MVNU took a 10-point lead into halftime but saw that lead quickly dwindle away in the second half after the Big Red started hitting timely shots. The Cougars shot 50% from the field in the first half, but in the second half they had to fight for every bucket and hit at a 39.3% clip in the second half. However, down the stretch, when the Cougars needed shots to fall, they got them.
Clay Hilliard hit a huge bucket to put MVNU up by two points with 59 seconds left in the game. Denison struggled from the free-throw line, and it was very crucial in the last minute. The Big Red missed one out of two on a chance to tie the game after the Hilliard two, cutting the MVNU lead to one. Kade Ruegsegger knocked down two big free throws to push the Cougar lead to three. The Big Red yet again had trouble on free throws, as they missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and the Cougars held on for the three-point win.
Top Cougar performers included Kyle Kegley, who had a double-double. He finished the night with 13 points and 12 rebounds and also had two blocks. Trace Ramsey shot well from the floor, finishing 4-for-4 from the field and tying for a team-high 14 points. Ramsey was also a menace on defense, getting five steals on the night. Ruegsegger tied Ramsey for the team high with 14 points, shooting 5-for-14 with three assists and two boards. Hilliard was the fourth Cougar in double digits with 13 points and finished with a game-high six assists. Eric McLaughlin was solid for MVNU, as he finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
“Give Denison a lot of credit. They were terrific in a lot of areas," Cougars coach, Jared Ronai, in his seventh season behind the bench, said. "Their Freeman Brou is an All-American-level player, and I thought he really hurt us. We didn’t value the ball like we emphasize, and we have much to improve upon and grow from. It was great to play in front of a crowd again, and hopefully we got our first-game jitters out.”
The Cougars made it 2-0 to start the season with a 62-58 victory over Oberlin on Oct. 30. Leading the Cougars in the second game of the season were Ruegsegger with 15 points, Hilliard with 14 and McLaughlin with 12 points and nine rebounds.
