MVNU men lose tight battle against No. 7 IWU
The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team (13-6, 4-4) lost a tough one to No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan University (17-3, 8-0) by a final score of 88-85 on Saturday, Jan. 15, at Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon.
The Cougars played host to the visiting Wildcats, who boasted an undefeated 7-0 record in the Crossroads League coming into the matchup. This classic Crossroads League rivalry always produces thrilling contests, and Saturday’s game did not disappoint. After a back-and-forth first half, Indiana Wesleyan held a one-point advantage at the break, leading 42-41.
In the second half, the Wildcats began to pull away, but the Cougars clawed themselves right back into the game as each team continuously dealt blow after blow to the other. MVNU used hot-shooting (55.8% from the field and 47.4% from three) to stay in the ballgame. The game went down to the final moments as a missed Wildcat free throw led to Kade Ruegsegger’s last-gasp, half-court effort to tie things up for the Cougars, but the shot crashed off the backboard and did not go for the hosts.
Carter Jones led the Cougars with 18 points. He also added four rebounds and three assists. Ruegsegger had a huge game off the bench as he scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and handed off four assists on the afternoon. Kyle Kegley had 14 points and eight rebounds for MVNU, and Carter Pline added 11 points, four boards and three assists.
Lady Cougars fall in overtime to No. 11 IWU
The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team (11-8, 5-2) fell to No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan University (18-2, 7-1) on Saturday, Jan. 15, after taking the Wildcats to overtime, 80-74, at Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon.
The Lady Cougars played very well in the first quarter but went cold midway through the second quarter as Indiana Wesleyan University went on an 11-0 run to take a sizable lead. However, the Lady Cougars fought their way back and regained the lead just before the half to lead 40-39 at the break.
The Wildcats came out from halftime with energy and took a large lead heading into the game’s final stages. But the hosts fought their way back once more. Down 11 points with 4 1/2 minutes left, MVNU cut down the lead to just two with under 40 seconds to play. Lily Krieger then hit the game-tying jumper that sent the game to overtime. In overtime, the Wildcats showed why they are the 11th-ranked team in the nation, as they outscored the Lady Cougars 11-5 in the extra period to secure an important Crossroads League road win.
Maggie Coe led MVNU with 26 points and two assists. Rylee Pireu scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds on the afternoon, and Krieger had 14 points and eight rebounds. Emily Walker was once again the main distributor of the ball for the Lady Cougars as her nine assists led the team. She added four points.
