The game started with some levity as the host Cougars (12-6, 2-2 AMC) consented to allow the visiting Yellow Jackets (19-1, 4-0 AMC) to wear MVNU’s old blue road uniforms as Cedarville arrived for the game and then realized that someone had forgotten to pack the uniforms.

With the apparel issue settled, the big game got under way. A four-point play by senior guard Ben Falkenberg fueled what would be a 23-12 run for the host Cougars to start the game. Falkenberg scored eight points during the surge, while senior forward Jadin Thomas (left) added seven points.

At that point with 11:09 left before the break, the Yellow Jackets rattled off seven unanswered points to pull within 23-19 to start what would then end up being an 18-6 run to close the half as Cedarville went to the locker room with a 30-29 advantage.

Falkenberg led MVNU with 10 first-half points, while Thomas added seven points and five rebounds. The Cougars shot just 35.5 percent from the field (11-for-31), 26.7 percent from three-point range (4-for-15), and 60.0 percent at the free throw line (3-for-5).

Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets had four players with five points each with Chris Beals leading the way with six rebounds. Cedarville shot 38.7 percent from the field (12-for-31), 30.8 percent from three-point range (4-for-13), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (2-for-3).

After MVNU regained the lead 31-30 on a pair of free throws by senior guard Dan Borcherdt to start the second half, the Yellow Jackets countered with an 8-2 run to go back in front 38-33 at the 16:40 mark.

With Cedarville holding a 53-49 advantage with 7:49 to play in regulation, Falkenberg nailed a pair of free throws, drained a three-pointer, registered a layup, and assisted on a trey by Thomas as the Cougars took a 59-55 lead of their own with 5:53 left.

Then, with 4:41 left in the second half, Falkenberg (below) was fouled and went to the line. He calmly swished the first free throw for his 20th point of the night and the 2,339th of his illustrious career as he moved past former MVNU standout Phil Argento (2,338 points from 1999-2003) and into first place on the team’s all-time scoring list. He canned the second shot as well as the Cougars extended their lead to 61-57.

MVNU pushed its lead back up to 65-60 with 1:24 to go on a layup by Thomas. However, Adam Riehle made a jumper and Christopher Walker went 2-for-3 at the free throw line after being awarded three free throw attempts despite taking a shot from inside the three-point arc as the Yellow Jackets closed the gap to 65-64 with eight seconds remaining.

Thomas grabbed the rebound of the missed free throw and was fouled. He split a pair of free throws with six seconds left to give the Cougars a 66-64 advantage, but Grant Walker was awarded a pair of free throws for the Yellow Jackets with 2.7 seconds left as he knotted the score at 66-66. A desperation heave by Thomas fell well short at the buzzer as the game moved into a five-minute overtime period.

In overtime, MVNU scored first as Thomas went 1-for-2 at the free throw line on the Cougars’ first possession. Neither team scored again until Rose made a pair of free throws with 2:21 left to put Cedarville on top 68-67.

MVNU missed its next two field goal attempts - both three-pointers, but the Yellow Jackets were unable to take advantage and increase their lead as they missed both of their shots and committed a turnover.

Junior wing Travis Brown knotted the score at 68-68 as he went 1-for-2 at the free throw line with 43 seconds to go, but Daniel Rose gave Cedarville the lead again 70-68 with a jumper with 16 seconds remaining.

With time winding down, Falkenberg tried to work free for a tying or even potentially game-winning shot, but he was stripped of the ball by Matt Harner as time expired to give the Yellow Jackets a hard-fought 70-68 victory in a game between two evenly-matched opponents.

“This was a tough loss,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “Our guys played well enough to win this one. We just needed to make one more play and we fell short. I thought our zone was effective tonight. We were also able to keep them off balance by changing our defenses.”

“I am happy for Ben that he broke the scoring record tonight, but I know that he would rather have won the game,” Flemming added. “We were able to get to the free throw line a lot in the second half by penetrating to the basket. This was typical of so many great games that we have had with Cedarville over the years.”

Thomas finished with 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Cougars, while Falkenberg added 21 points and in addition to ranking first in MVNU history now ranks 23rd in Ohio college basketball history with 2,340 career points. Brown added seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while junior post Bryce Sanborn grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to go with five points. The Cougars were held to just 32.8 percent shooting from the field (22-for-67) by the Yellow Jackets, who entered the game as the No. 1 team in NAIA Division II in field goal percent defense (36.6) and lowered that average. MVNU also went 7-for-25 from three-point range (28.0 percent) and 17-for-24 (70.0 percent).

Rose led Cedarville with 16 points off the bench, while Beals and Walker each scored 13 points. Ricardo Alliman also posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets shot 39.7 percent from the field (25-for-63), 26.1 percent from three-point range (6-for-23), and 63.6 percent from the free throw line (14-for-22). Cedarville won the rebounding battle 47-42, but the Yellow Jackets also turned the ball over 17 times compared to just 11 turnovers for the Cougars.

The Cougars will look to bounce back on Saturday when MVNU will travel to the University of Northwestern Ohio for another AMC contest that will begin at 3:00 p.m.