The game went back and forth over the first nine minutes with the score knotted at 16-16. During the early going, there was an historic moment at the 12:31 mark when MVNU senior guard Ben Falkenberg (left), a two-time NAIA Division II First Team All-American, hit a running jumper from the right elbow to become only the fifth player in school history to reach the 2,000-point mark in career scoring.

With the Cougars (1-0), who are ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll holding a slim 27-22 lead, MVNU went on an 18-6 run over the final 7:28 of the first half to build a 45-28 lead as the teams went to the locker rooms at the break. Senior forward Jadin Thomas led the surge with seven points, while Falkenberg added five points.

Falkenberg paced the Cougars with 15 first-half points, while senior guard Dan Borcherdt added 11 points. MVNU shot 45.7 percent from the field (16-for-35), 41.7 percent from three-point range (5-for-12), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (8-for-10) in the first half.

Meanwhile, Trenton Calloway led the host Golden Eagles (2-1) with 11 first-half points. Cincinnati Christian shot 36.4 percent from the field (12-for-33), 14.3 percent from three-point range (1-for-7), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (3-for-4).

The Cougars roared out to start the second half as MVNU nailed 13 of its first 16 shots on the way to building its biggest lead of the game at 84-35 with 11:28 still remaining in the game. The hot shooting of the Cougars also coincided with a cold stretch for the Golden Eagles, who missed their first six shots from the field and their first five free throw attempts to start the second half as MVNU began the final 20 minutes with a 24-0 run. The Golden Eagles ended up going 8:52 between points with their final basket of the first half coming on a layup by Chris Scott with 2:55 remaining before the break and their first basket of the second half coming on a three-pointer by David Pritchard at the 14:03 mark.

Cincinnati Christian used a 22-2 run against the Cougar reserves to close the gap to 86-57 with 6:24 left to force MVNU coach Scott Flemming to reinsert his starters. Two minutes and three Borcherdt three-pointers later, the starters returned to the bench with the Cougars securely back on top 97-61.

A layup by freshman post Scott Hilbert put MVNU over the century mark at 101-61 and also marked all 12 Cougars getting into the scoring column with at least two points on the night. The team would go on to post the 104-67 victory.

“It is always nice and important to win your first game of the season,” said Flemming. “Everyone got into the action and we played very well for the one stretch to start the second half. However, despite the final score, we also showed that we have some areas to work on and improve in. We turned the ball over 27 times and that is something that we definitely want to improve on. All in all, though, it was a good way to start the season.”

Borcherdt (right) led all scorers with a career-high 26 points as he went 8-for-12 from three-point range. Falkenberg finished with 17 points and a game-high six assists, while Thomas posted a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. Freshman guard Robbie Taylor also reached double figures in his first game in an MVNU uniform as he finished with 11 points off the bench. Sophomore guard Brandon Short contributed eight points and a career-high nine rebounds, and junior wing Travis Brown tossed in nine points off the bench in his first action for the Cougars.

MVNU shot 49.3 percent from the field for the game (35-for-71), 51.7 percent from three-point range (15-for-29), and 79.2 percent from the free throw line (19-for-24). The Cougars also out-rebounded Cincinnati Christian 53-33 for the game.

Calloway paced the Golden Eagles with 21 points and nine rebounds as he went 9-for-13 from the field. Scott added 12 points and four assists, while Drew Ellis and Sheldon McNeil each scored eight points apiece. Cincinnati Christian shot 36.9 percent from the field (24-for-65), 20.0 percent from three-point range (4-for-20), and 65.2 percent from the free throw line (15-for-23). The two teams combined for 53 turnovers in the game.

MVNU will return to action on Friday when the Cougars will host Berea (Ky.) College in the annual Homecoming game that will tip off at 8:00 p.m.