The game went back and forth over the first seven minutes with five ties and four lead changes with the score knotted up at 11-11. Then, the host Cougars (15-2, 3-1 AMC South), who are ranked No. 5 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, used a three-pointer by junior forward Jadin Thomas (left) and a basket each from freshman guard Brandon Short and junior guard Ben Falkenberg to take an 18-11 lead with 11:36 left in the half.

The visiting Bears (8-10, 2-2 AMC South) answered with a 20-6 run of their own to take a 31-24 advantage with 3:56 remaining before halftime. Kevin McDonald scored four points to lead the surge, while Josh Reed, Keelyn Franklin, Wes Jordan, and Aaron Davis each added three points apiece.

MVNU pulled within 33-31 with 1:47 left before the break as junior guard Dan Borcherdt scored four points and Falkenberg added a three-point play, but Shawnee State got a layup from Reed to take a 35-31 lead to the locker room at the half.

Thomas led the Cougars with 11 points and six rebounds in the first half, while Falkenberg added 10 points. MVNU shot 40.0 percent from the field (12-for-30), 18.2 percent from three-point range (2-for-11), and went 5-for-5 at the free throw line. The Cougars also held a 17-13 edge in rebounds.

The Bears were led by Bryan Robinson and Reed with six points apiece, while McDonald tossed in six points. Shawnee State shot 53.8 percent from the field (14-for-26), 60.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-5), and 80.0 percent at the free throw line (4-for-5).

Two baskets by Reed gave the Bears their largest lead of the game at 39-31 just over a minute into the second half.

A layup and two free throws by Falkenberg, a trey by Borcherdt, and three free throws by junior wing Andy Francis helped MVNU knot the score at 41-41 at the 16:24 mark.

With Shawnee State clinging to a 45-43 lead with 13:40 to play, the Cougars went on a 25-9 run over the next nine and a half minutes to take their biggest lead of the game 68-54 on a three-point play by Short with 4:14 left in the contest. Thomas led the way with eight points, while Short added seven points. Senior forward Evan Yates (right) also came off the bench to toss in six big points.

From there, MVNU held at least a nine-point lead the rest of the way as the Cougars went 8-for-8 at the free throw line down the stretch on the way to posting the 78-68 victory.

“This was a good win for us tonight,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “I knew we would have a tough game tonight. I told our guys that most of the conference games will be this way. They will not come easy.”

“We struggled from the perimeter tonight but found ways to score inside and at the free throw line,” said Flemming. “Jadin was outstanding. He stepped up and out-played some much bigger players tonight. He was dominant on the boards. We had some great bench play as well. Brandon and Evan played a big part in this win especially on the defensive end. We kept changing our defenses and our guys responded well. I was proud of the overall effort.”

Thomas posted a double-double to lead the Cougars as he finished with a career-high 23 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocked shots. Falkenberg tossed in 16 points, while Borcherdt added 13 points. Short also contributed a career-high 11 points off the bench, while Francis and Yates tallied seven and six points respectively. MVNU shot 49.0 percent from the field (24-for-49) including 63.2 percent in the second half, 23.5 percent from three-point range (4-for-17), and 92.9 percent from the free throw line (26-for-28).

Justin Patrick finished with 16 points and five rebounds to lead Shawnee State, while McDonald and Reed added 13 points apiece. The Bears shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-for-56), 38.5 percent from three-point range (5-for-13), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (9-for-12).

The Cougars will return to action on Tuesday night when MVNU will travel to the University of Rio Grande for another AMC South Division game that will tip off at 8:00 p.m.