Starting four guards for the first time all year, MVNU (17-7, 5-3 AMC) nailed six three-pointers in the first 5:17 of the game as the Cougars built an early 19-4 lead. Senior guard Ben Falkenberg (left) nailed a trio of treys in the early going including one on which he was fouled as he scored 10 quick points. Senior wing Andy Francis added two three-pointers, while senior guard Dan Borcherdt also connected from long range.

A three-pointer by Ian Nixson closed the gap to 19-7 with 13:27 left before the break. However, MVNU then went on a 36-15 run to close the half as the Cougars led 55-22 after the first 20 minutes of action.

Falkenberg led MVNU with 14 first-half points, while Francis tossed in 11 points. The Cougars shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field (16-for-27), 61.1 percent from three-point range (11-for-18), and 92.3 percent from the free throw line (12-for-13). MVNU also held a 19-11 rebounding advantage and committed just four turnovers to 10 miscues for Shawnee State.

The Bears (8-15, 2-6 AMC), who were coming off a 61-50 upset at then No. 1 Cedarville University on Saturday, were led by Justin Patrick with 10 first-half points. Shawnee State shot 37.0 percent from the field (10-for-27), 12.5 percent from three-point range (1-for-8), and 33.3 percent from the free throw line (1-for-3).

The long range barrage continued in the second half as Falkenberg nailed two more treys and Borcherdt added one of his own as the Cougars’ lead grew to 72-27 with five minutes gone by in the final period.

The outcome was never in doubt after that - it was just a matter of what the final score would be - as MVNU notched its fifth straight win with a 102-61 victory. It also marked the first time since the 2005-2006 season that the Cougars had posted back-to-back games with 100 or more points. MVNU now has five games this season with 100 or more points which is the most times the Cougars have topped the century mark in the same season since doing it six times during the 2002-2003 campaign.

“Obviously, I am pleased with our effort tonight,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “I thought we did a great job defensively, especially in the first half. We truly played as a team. Everybody was making that extra pass and we hit the open shots. It also seemed like everybody we put in did a great job tonight. We are playing good basketball at the right time of year.”

Falkenberg finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting to lead MVNU. Francis (right) and senior forward Matt McKinley both added 11 points apiece, while freshman guard Robbie Taylor tossed in 10 points. Borcherdt and senior forward Jadin Thomas tallied nine points each, and junior wing Travis Brown contributed eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Cougars shot 60.0 percent from the field (33-for-55), 55.2 percent from three-point range (16-for-29), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (20-for-25).

Patrick finished with 21 points and six rebounds to lead Shawnee State, while Timothy Russell was the only other player to reach double figures with 10 points. The Bears shot 43.1 percent from the field (25-for-58), 7.7 percent from three-point range (1-for-13), and 52.6 percent from the free throw line (10-for-19).

MVNU will return to action on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when the Cougars will host the University of Rio Grande in another important AMC contest.