The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team faced a challenging game against No. 23 Taylor University, resulting in an 83-77 loss. The game took place on January 17, with Taylor University establishing an early lead of 10-0 within the first five minutes. Reed Platfoot's layup reduced the gap to 23-16 midway through the first half. Despite narrowing the lead to one point with a three-pointer from Abib Abib, Taylor ended the first half ahead at 41-37.
In the second half, MVNU tied the game at 51-51 with just over twelve minutes remaining. However, Taylor regained control and led by seven points with five minutes left. Although Abib's three-pointer and Peyton Heiss's free throws leveled the score again at 73-73, Taylor secured victory by hitting consecutive three-pointers for a final score of 83-77.
MVNU shot 50% from the field and made ten out of twenty-eight three-point attempts. They also scored seven out of twelve free throws, collected thirty rebounds, and had fourteen assists. The Cougars forced ten turnovers from Taylor and scored eleven points off these turnovers while adding eighteen points from their bench.
Reed Platfoot achieved a career-high of nineteen points along with three rebounds, two steals, and a block. Abib also reached a career-high with eighteen points and one rebound. Peyton Heiss contributed sixteen points, while Trent Koning added ten for MVNU.
Coach Ronai expressed pride in his team's resilience: "Super proud of our group. We faced a lot of adversity today and we kept responding." Looking ahead, MVNU will play against the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne on January 24.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private Christian institution offering education to nearly 2,200 students across various states and countries.
