The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team (11-5, 2-3) opened calendar 2022 with a 72-70 road win at Spring Arbor University (6-11, 0-5) on Tuesday.
In a tight, highly competitive game from start to finish in Spring Arbor, Mich., a big three-pointer from Clay Hilliard just before the end of the first half cut the Spring Arbor lead to 45-43 entering halftime.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair as it featured seven lead changes. A bucket from Kyle Kegly gave MVNU the lead for good at 67-66 with 5:17 left. Spring Arbor would not go away, however. After a stop on defense with five seconds remaining, SAU drew a foul with one second left to get to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game. Both free throws came up short, allowing MVNU to escape with a hard-fought 72-70 road win.
MVNU finished with three Cougars in double figures. The scoreboard assault was led by Kegley with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and 10 rebounds. Hilliard added 17 points, two rebounds and two steals. Trace Ramsey was the third Cougar in double figures with 14 points. Ramsey was 6-for-8 from the floor and had five rebounds and four assists.
MVNU basketball coach Jared Rona said, "It was a gritty road win tonight. We only have two guys on our roster that have played against Spring Arbor before tonight, so it was good for those young guys to get valuable road experience against an always tough team. I thought SAU shot it extremely well, but we were able to come up with just enough stops in the second half. Much to grow from, and we’re excited to get better tomorrow.”
