Men’s Basketball Comes Up Short at No.9 IWU

MARION, Ind. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team (12-5, 2-5) was defeated at No.9 Indiana Wesleyan University (15-2, 6-1) on Saturday, January 13.

The battle between the Cougars and Wildcats was a shootout at Luckey Arena as both teams scored effectively and efficiently in the game. At the half MVNU trailed 53-44 to the Wildcats. Despite a strong second half where MVNU played even with the hosts, IWU’s hot shooting would carry it to a 100-91 win at home.

Inside the Box Score:

MVNU shot 50% from the field and cashed in on 15 threes (41.7%) in the game. The Wildcats shot a smoldering 57.4% from the field, while hitting 34.8% of their threes (8-23).

IWU outrebounded MVNU 42-23.

The Cougars once again did a great job of sharing the basketball, finishing with 20 assists to just 12 turnovers.

Kade Ruegsegger – 24 points (9-19 FG, 5-10 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals.

Trent Koning – 23 points (7-12 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-4 FT), 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds.

Grant Burkholder – 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3PT), 2 assists, 1 steal.

Coach Ronai’s Thoughts:

“Another hard-fought Crossroads League game. Luckey Arena is a tough place to play, and our guys fought for 40 minutes and we had our opportunities. This young group continues to get even better though we have gone through a tough stretch. Growth is found through struggle, and I’m excited for this group to find growth from this game.”

What’s Next:

MVNU will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana on Wednesday, January 17 for a contest at Marian University. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm.