The visiting Bears (4-5) got off to a good start in the game as Shawnee State held a 12-10 lead at the 13:38 mark as Ian Nixson led the early surge with five points and Keelyn Franklin added a three-point play.

At that point, the Cougars (7-3), who are ranked No. 7 in the most recent NAIA Division II poll, caught fire and went on a 33-14 run to close the half as MVNU built a comfortable 43-26 lead as the teams went to the locker rooms at the break.

Senior guard Ben Falkenberg (left) and junior wing Travis Brown both scored nine first-half points to pace the Cougars as Falkenberg nailed a trio of three-pointers and Brown went 4-for-4 from the field with one trey. Senior forward Jadin Thomas added seven points and five rebounds. MVNU shot 56.7 percent from the field (17-for-30), 50.0 percent from three-point range (6-for-12), and 50.0 percent from the free throw line (3-for-6). The Cougars also out-rebounded Shawnee State 22-13.

The Bears were led by Kyle Miller with 11 points in the first half. Shawnee State shot just 32.3 percent from the field (10-for-31), 20.0 percent from three-point range (2-for-10), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (4-for-5).

The Bears scored the first six points of the second half as the result of three straight turnovers by the Cougars as Shawnee State pulled within 43-32 with 17:20 still left in the contest.

However, a pair of baskets by Thomas, a trey by Falkenberg, and a jumper by senior wing Andy Francis fueled a 9-0 run for MVNU that extended its lead out to 52-32 at the 14:21 mark.

The Bears were able to close the gap to 58-45 on a pair of free throws by Miller with 7:32 to play, but two free throws by sophomore guard Brandon Short and a three-pointer by senior guard Dan Borcherdt increased the lead back to 63-45 with 6:49 to go.

From that point on, the Cougars led by at least 15 points the rest of the way with MVNU’s biggest lead coming on its final basket to wrap up the 82-57 victory to capture the tournament title.

“This was a step forward for us,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “Overall, I was pleased with our defensive effort. Today, it was the zone that was effective for us. I thought we also improved our bench depth this weekend. There is a long way to go in the season, but we are getting better.”

Thomas (right) finished with 19 points and six rebounds as he went 8-for-11 from the field. Falkenberg added 14 points, while Brown tossed in 11 points off the bench. Borcherdt contributed nine points with three treys, and Bryce Sanborn recorded eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. Francis also tallied seven points off the bench. The Cougars shot 52.5 percent from the field for the game (32-for-61), 36.4 percent from three-point range (8-for-22), and 62.5 percent from the free throw line (10-for-16).

Miller led Shawnee State with 19 points that included an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line. Justin Patrick added 14 points and six rebounds, while Timothy Russell tossed in nine points off the bench. The Bears shot 33.3 percent from the field (20-for-60), 16.7 percent from three-point range (3-for-18), and 77.8 percent from the free throw line (14-for-18).

In the consolation game, Urbana University ran past Ohio State University-Mansfield 99-49. The Blue Knights were led by David Brown and Harvey Stewart with 18 points apiece with Brown dishing out eight assists and Stewart grabbing nine rebounds. Craig Elston added 14 points, and Vitas Naudziunas grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points. The Mavericks of Ohio State-Mansfield were led by Amir Lindsay with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Sam Barnhill tossed in 10 points.  (BOXSCORE)

Falkenberg was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Thomas and Brown. Miller and Patrick of Shawnee State, Brown of Urbana, and Barnhill from Ohio State-Mansfield rounded out the award selections.

The Cougars will return to action next Saturday when MVNU will host Kenyon College in a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m. That game has been designated as a Food for the Hungry event with all proceeds from ticket sales going to the annual community drive that benefits the Salvation Army and Interchurch. Admission is $2 or six non-perishable food items for students and $4 or eight non-perishable food items for adults.