After a brief 4-2 lead by the host Pioneers (5-4), the Cougars roared out to a 33-18 advantage by the 6:54 mark of the first half. Junior forward Matt McKinley (left) provided a spark off the bench with eight points to lead the surge, while junior forward Jadin Thomas added seven points.

Malone closed the half on a 16-11 run to pull within 44-34 at the break. Ben Carver fueled the comeback with six points.

McKinley, whose previous career high was seven points, led MVNU (7-0) with 13 points in the first half as he went 5-for-5 from the field including nailing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Junior guard Ben Falkenberg added 10 points, while Thomas tossed in seven points. The Cougars shot a blistering 64.3 percent from the field (18-for-28), 50.0 percent from three-point range (7-for-14), and 25.0 percent from the free throw line (1-for-4).

Shane Humphrey paced Malone with nine first-half points and five rebounds, while Carver added eight points. The Pioneers shot 51.9 percent from the field (14-for-27), missed all six of their three-point attempts, and went 6-for-8 (75.0 percent) from the free throw line.

MVNU started the second half the way the Cougars started the game as they used a 23-4 run to build a commanding 67-38 advantage with 15:01 left in the game. MVNU went 8-for-10 from the field to start the second half as Falkenberg scored seven points including a four-point play and Thomas and junior guard Dan Borcherdt both added five points apiece.

Malone closed the gap to 78-61 on a layup by Tyler Renner with 6:51 to play, but another trey by Falkenberg pushed the lead back to 81-61 and the Cougars held at least a 19-point lead the rest of the way as they cruised to a 91-69 victory.

“I was really pleased with the way that our guys came ready to play,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “They started both halves strong, but especially in the second half to take control of the game. We are still trying to figure out just how good this team can be, but they definitely played well tonight.”

“Matt provided a big spark for us in the first half tonight,” Flemming added. “If he hasn’t been in team’s scouting reports before, he probably will be now. We have a lot of guys who can step out and hit those shots, but he did a great job in a key role tonight.”

Falkenberg (right) finished with a game-high 23 points as he went 6-for-11 from three-point range. Thomas added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Borcherdt contributed 14 points and four assists. McKinley tallied 13 points and five rebounds, and senior post Connor Gregg registered 10 points and six rebounds. Junior wing Andy Francis also dished out a career-high five assists, while sophomore post Bryce Sanborn totaled five points and four rebounds. MVNU shot 58.8 percent from the field (30-for-51) for the game, 52.0 percent from three-point range (13-for-25), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (18-for-27). The Cougars also held a 32-27 rebounding advantage.

Carver and Renner led Malone with 11 points apiece, while Humphrey contributed nine points and seven rebounds. The Pioneers shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-for-56), 8.3 percent from three-point range (1-for-12), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (14-for-21).

MVNU will return to action on Friday when the Cougars will host the annual Food for the Hungry Holiday Invitational Tournament. Kenyon College will take on Ohio Christian University at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Cougars versus the University of Michigan-Dearborn at 8:00 p.m. Then, on Saturday, the tournament will move across Knox County to Kenyon when Ohio Christian and Michigan-Dearborn will meet at 4:00 p.m. followed by MVNU versus Kenyon at 6:00 p.m. Admission is $4 or eight non-perishable food items for adults and $2 or six non-perishable food items for students. All proceeds will go to the Knox County Food for the Hungry Drive.