HELENA, Mont. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team (20-11) wrapped up what it considered a highly successful season on Friday, March 11, in the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament opening round. MVNU fell to Carroll College (29-4), 72-58.
MVNU entered the matchup as a 14 seed and Carroll College as a three seed. Despite trailing in the game for much of the way, MVNU showed lots of fight against the veteran-equipped Saints team. MVNU trailed 40-27 in the second half but slowly started to claw itse;f back into the contest.
Kade Ruegsegger kept MVNU in the game. The sophomore from Dover, Ohio, hit three threes within a four-minute span to help cut the Saint lead to just one with 10:37 remaining in the game. The hosts were not rattled, however, showing poise and veteran experience down the stretch to pull away and secure the victory.
Ruegsegger led MVNU with 17 points, 12 of them coming in the second half. Eric McLaughlin had 10 points for the Cougars on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor. McLaughlin also collected five rebounds. Clay Hilliard scored nine points for the Cougars, and Kyle Kegley finished with seven points and a game-high nine rebounds.
MVNU had basketball coach Jared Ronai said he was proud of his team’s fight.
“They have battled all season long, and they battled to the end tonight,” he said. “Carroll is a terrific, physical basketball team who is very good in their home gym. We didn’t play our best game tonight, but we moved ourselves forward. I can’t thank this group enough for their commitment to our process and culture. I especially want to thank Eddie Driskell for what he means to me, my family, and our program. My son, Kyler, was incredibly sad after the game because he knew this was Eddie’s last. He is a tremendous teammate and person. This group will learn and grow from this experience. Thank you to the MVNU community for all their support throughout this long season. We are incredibly grateful.”
