WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team (10-5, 1-3) defeated Keiser University (5-7, 3-3) by a final score of 82-77 on Thursday, Dec. 16.
The Cougars had a tall task as they played two consecutive nights against two athletic teams. MVNU started out hot, holding as much as an 18-point lead in the first half. Coming out of the half, Keiser shrank the lead and the Cougars had to fight to stay in front. Keiser cut the Cougar lead to just two points late in the second half, but MVNU made the conversions on offense and got stops on defense when it needed them most to help secure the victory. MVNU’s hot-shooting and dominance on the glass were huge factors in the win, as it shot 54.7% from the field and nearly 40% from deep while outrebounding the Seahawks 37-27.
The Cougars were led by Kyle Kegley and Clay Hilliard, who scored 25 points each in Thursday’s bout. Kegley was a force on both sides of the ball for MVNU. Kegley topped off his double-double with 15 rebounds. He also had three blocks and a steal against the Seahawks.
Also for the Cougars, Hilliard shot 9-for-16 from the field, including 5-for-5 from inside the arc. Hilliard also came down with a pair of rebounds and a steal in the win. Trace Ramsey was solid for MVNU with 13 points and 8-for-9 shooting from the line. Ramsey grabbed five rebounds and notched two blocks for the Cougars. Eric McLaughlin nearly finished with a double-double. McLaughlin had nine points and eight rebounds. He also picked up four assists, and Kade Ruegsegger had a game-high six assists.
MVNU coach Jared Ronai said, “I am really proud of our group. Keiser is extremely talented and always is a contender in the Sun Conference year in and year out. We fought through a lot of adversity in the second half and took a step forward tonight. This has been a tremendous week of growth for our program, and I want to thank everyone that has helped us make this trip happen.”
