The game went back and forth over the first three minutes with the score tied at 9-9. Then, MVNU (18-5), ranked No. 15 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, used an 18-3 run to take a 27-12 lead with 7:58 left in the half. Junior guard Ben Falkenberg (left) led the surge with seven points, while junior forward Jadin Thomas added five points.

The visiting Highlanders (7-14) pulled within 32-22 with 2:49 remaining before the break. However, the Cougars closed the half on an 8-4 run to push the lead to 40-26 as the teams went to the locker room at the half.

Falkenberg led MVNU with 21 first-half points as he went 7-for-9 from the field including 5-for-7 from three-point range. Junior wing Andy Francis added six points, and junior guard Dan Borcherdt dished out five assists. The Cougars shot 53.3 percent from the field (16-for-30), 37.5 percent from three-point range (6-for-16), and made both free throw attempts. MVNU forced nine turnovers and committed just five miscues.

Mada Abdelhamid led Houghton with seven points and five rebounds, while Jon Mannarino added six points. The Highlanders shot 35.5 percent from the field (11-for-31), 10.0 percent from three-point range (1-for-10), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (3-for-4). Houghton held a 20-15 rebounding advantage in the first half.

The second half belonged to the Cougars as MVNU shot a blistering 60.0 percent from the field (21-for-35) on the way to out-scoring Houghton 54-28 over the final 20 minutes. The closest that the Highlanders got was 41-28 just over a minute into the final period, while the Cougars led by as much as 94-52 before settling for the 94-54 victory.

“This was a good defensive effort for us tonight,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “We were able to get stops that led to our fastbreak. I thought we played well as a team and got a lot of people involved. We moved the ball well to get open shots. I trust this will get us ready for a tough game on Saturday.”

Falkenberg finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field that included a 5-for-8 showing from three-point range. He also dished out four assists. Senior post Connor Gregg (right) added 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, while Borcherdt tossed in 11 points with five assists. Francis contributed 10 points and five rebounds, and Thomas tallied eight points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Brandon Short registered four assists and four steals off the bench, while senior forward Evan Yates scored six points and sophomore post Bryce Sanborn grabbed five rebounds to go with four points. The Cougars finished the game shooting 56.9 percent from the field (37-for-65), 45.8 percent from three-point range (11-for-24), and 69.2 percent from the free throw line (9-for-13). MVNU also ended the game with a 42-35 rebounding advantage and forced 16 turnovers.

Mannarino led Houghton with 14 points, while Yannick Anzuluni added 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Abdelhamid also contributed nine points and 12 rebounds, and Bruce Mourhess tossed in eight points off the bench. The Highlanders shot just 34.4 percent from the field (22-for-64), 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-14), and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (8-for-13).

The Cougars will look to start a winning streak for the first time in nearly a month when MVNU travels to Shawnee State University for an American Mideast Conference South Division game on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The Bears are currently in third place in the AMC South at 6-3, while the Cougars are right behind in fourth place at 5-4. MVNU won the earlier meeting on its home court 78-68 on January 19.