Falkenberg (left) and the Racers’ Josh Vorst traded baskets to start the game with the score knotted at 2-2. Then, No. 2 seed MVNU (23-7) went on a 17-4 run to take a 19-6 lead by the 14:34 mark as Falkenberg led the charge by going 4-for-4 from three-point range to work the home crowd into a frenzy.

Northwestern Ohio (18-14) rattled off six straight points to close the gap to 19-12 with 10:06 to play before the half, but a 19-5 run by the Cougars over the next six minutes put MVNU in control 38-17 with 4:05 left before the break. Senior guard Dan Borcherdt nailed a pair of treys during the surge, while Falkenberg and junior post Bryce Sanborn added four points apiece.

From there, the Cougars closed the half well and took a 43-24 lead to the locker room at the break as junior wing Travis Brown beat the halftime buzzer with an offense rebound and fade-away jumper.

Falkenberg finished the first half with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field that included four three-pointers. Borcherdt added nine points with a trio of treys, and Sanborn contributed six points and nine rebounds. MVNU shot 47.1 percent from the field (16-for-34), 58.3 percent from three-point range (7-for-12), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-for-6). The Cougars also out-rebounded the Racers 27-18 and committed just five turnovers in the first half.

Northwestern Ohio was led by Vorst with nine points, while Dustin Guthrie contributed five points off the bench. The Racers shot just 29.0 percent from the field (9-for-31), 12.5 percent from three-point range (1-for-8), and 55.6 percent from the free throw line (5-for-9).

MVNU continued to tack on to its lead to start the second half as Falkenberg scored five quick points, senior forward Jadin Thomas hit a jumper, and senior wing Andy Francis nailed a pair of free throws to give the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 52-26 at the 16:26 mark.

However, over the next five minutes, Northwestern Ohio, which had won eight of its last nine games coming into the contest and had beaten MVNU 76-56 in Lima on January 17, rallied to close the deficit to 55-44 with 11:04 still on the clock as Jason Sarno and Isaac Bowers each scored five points and Kyle Gillette added four points.

Falkenberg responded once again, though, as he scored the next nine points for the Cougars and Borcherdt (right) added a pair of free throws to fuel an 11-4 run to extend the lead back out to 66-48 with 7:54 left in the game.

From there, the closest that the Racers could get the rest of the way was 73-61 on a trey by Vorst with 2:58 to go. However, a three-point play by Francis and another three-pointer by Falkenberg pushed the lead back to 79-63 and MVNU was able to go on to post the 81-66 victory to advance to the AMC Tournament championship game.

“We played very well tonight on both ends of the floor,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “I thought (Northwestern Ohio) was playing as well as anyone in the conference leading up to this game. We had consistent play by our post players and our guards tonight. Jadin is always there, but I thought Bryce broke out and had one his best games of the season. Ben and Dan also showed why they are one of the best backcourts in the country tonight.”

Falkenberg finished with 37 points and five assists in the game on 12-for-17 shooting from the field that included a 7-for-12 showing from beyond the arc and a 6-for-6 stint at the free throw line. He had the crowd on its feet when he nearly hit a 35-foot three-pointer to try and beat the shot clock with 20 seconds left that would have given him an even 40 points on the night.

Borcherdt added 13 points and was 3-for-4 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the free throw line as he also picked up three steals. Thomas posted his team-leading 12th double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in addition to three blocked shots, and Sanborn (left) grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds to go with seven points. The Cougars shot 44.6 percent from the field (25-for-56), 58.8 percent from three-point range (10-for-17), and 84.0 percent from the free throw line (21-for-25) including 17-for-19 in the second half (89.5 percent). MVNU also won the battle of the boards 43-32.

Vorst led Northwestern Ohio with 17 points and five rebounds, while Gillette added 15 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots. Guthrie finished with nine points off the bench, and Sarno also tallied nine points. Meanwhile, Brandon Miller led the Racers with nine rebounds. Northwestern Ohio shot 41.0 percent from the field (25-for-61), 23.5 percent from three-point range (4-for-17), and 60.0 percent from the free throw line (12-for-20).

With the victory, the Cougars will advance to the AMC Tournament championship game on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at No. 1 seed and NAIA Division II No. 4 ranked Walsh. The Cavaliers (26-3), who shared the AMC regular-season title with Cedarville University, will put the nation’s longest winning streak (14 games) on the line as well as a perfect 13-0 home mark on the season. Walsh defeated MVNU in North Canton 85-68 back on January 3 in the only previous meeting between the two teams this year. The Cougars have not won at Walsh since January 4, 2006.

“We are down to one more game to win the conference tournament and get an automatic bid for the NAIA national tournament,” said Flemming, whose squad has most assuredly locked up at least an at-large berth into the 32-team field in Branson, Mo. “We have a big challenge in beating one of the best teams in the country on their home court. I know our guys are hungry and ready to give their best effort.”

Tickets for the game will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. The game will also be carried live by WNZR at 90.9 FM and online at http://wnzr.fm/sports.html by clicking on the men’s basketball link.