WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team (10-6, 2-4) traveled to the University of Saint Francis (11-5, 4-2) for a conference game on Wednesday, January 8, and came away with a 98-73 win after a dominating effort on the road.
MVNU came out strong, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead. MVNU extended the lead to 14-7, but the hosts stormed back with an 8-0 run to claim a one-point lead. A layup from Devin Drier and a three-pointer by Carter Jones gave MVNU momentum and the team never looked back. A series of three-pointers from Bailey Conrad, Peyton Heiss, and Trent Koning propelled MVNU to a 38-26 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half. At the half MVNU held a 54-43 lead. As a team, MVNU hit 12 first-half threes.
The second half began with a basket from USF, but MVNU quickly responded with another bucket from Conrad. Milton Gage, who was pivotal in setting up his teammates, found Koning for another three, extending the lead to 59-47. The shots kept falling for MVNU and it maintained control throughout the remainder of the game. Mount Vernon’s largest lead came with just 1:14 remaining, where it held a commanding 25-point advantage. MVNU secured their tenth win of the season with its dominant 98-73 victory at Saint Francis.
Inside the Box Score
MVNU shot a hot 58.1% from the field and 48.7% behind the arc. MVNU made 19 threes in the game.
MVNU outrebounded USF 27-23 and had 17 second chance points.
MVNU did an outstanding job of sharing the ball, finishing with 23 assists to just 7 turnovers.
MVNU forced 10 turnovers and scored 16 points off of them.
Conrad – 30 points (11-13 FG, 4-5 3PT, 4-4 FT), 6 assists, 3 rebounds.
Koning – 16 points (6-11 FG, 3-8 3PT, 1-2 FT), 2 assists, 1 steal.
Heiss – 15 points (5-8 FG, 5-8 3PT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists.
Gage – 12 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT), 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal.
Coach Ronai’s Thoughts
“Thought our guys executed really well on both ends tonight. We really shared the ball, found the box, and played inside out. Saint Francis is extremely good in Fort Wayne and for our guys to put together 40 minutes on the road on both ends shows growth for a young group. We’re looking forward to getting better tomorrow.”
What’s Next
The Cougars will return home to Ariel Arena to take on No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan University on Saturday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m.