Bret Wackerly got the host Eagles (2-0) off to a good start with a pair of three-pointers for an early 6-0 lead only to see MVNU respond with a 21-10 run as the Cougars (3-1), who were ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll, took a 21-16 advantage with 13:20 to play in the first half. Falkenberg (left) nailed a trio of three-pointers during the early going, while senior forward Jadin Thomas added five points.

MVNU still held a 32-29 margin with 7:29 left before halftime when Ashland rattled off 11 straight points in a quick two-minute spurt to take a 40-32 lead. Wackerly added five more points and Kale Richardson tossed in four points.

Trailing 45-38 with under two minutes remaining in the first half, Falkenberg and freshman guard Robbie Taylor both hit treys before the half as the Cougars trimmed the deficit to 47-45 heading to the locker room at the break.

Falkenberg reached his season average coming into the game in the first half on Tuesday night with 18 points in 19 minutes of action. Borcherdt added 10 points, while junior center Bryce Sanborn dropped in six points. MVNU shot 48.6 percent from the field (17-for-35), 47.4 percent from three-point range (9-for-19), and made its only free throw attempt.

Wackerly led the Eagles with 13 first-half points, whiel Richardson added 11 points. Ashland shot 52.8 percent from the field (19-for-36), 40.0 percent from three-point range (4-for-10), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-for-6).

The Cougars got off to a good start in the second half with a layup by Sanborn, a three-pointer from Falkenberg, and a pair of treys by Borcherdt as MVNU used an 11-6 run to take a 55-53 lead just over two minutes into the final period.

However, the Cougars then went the next 3:04 without scoring with four missed shots, four missed free throws, and two turnovers. Meanwhile, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run to take a 62-55 lead with Richardson and Wackerly each hitting another three-pointer apiece.

The lead grew to as much as 87-73 with 7:22 remaining on another trey by Richardson, but MVNU whittled the margin down to 91-84 with 4:37 left with three free throws from Thomas and a three-pointer each by Borcherdt and Taylor.

That would be as close as the Cougars could get, though, as Wackerly and Richardson used three-pointers to keep the margin from getting any smaller as Ashland held on for the 109-99 victory.

Falkenberg finished with a game-high 39 points - the 12th time in his career that he has topped the 30-point mark and his third-highest single-game scoring total. He went 12-for-21 overall from the field, 8-for-15 from three-point range, and 7-for-7 at the free throw line. He also matched his career high with a game-high eight assists. In addition, he passed both Kenny Chaffin (2,062 points) and Ehren Hull (2,084 points) on the MVNU career scoring list as he now ranks third in school history with 2,092 points.

Borcherdt (right) matched his career-high with 26 points as he went 8-for-16 from three-point range to increase his season total to 23 treys in just four games as he leads all NAIA Division II players in three-pointers made per game (5.8). Sanborn equaled his career high with 12 points, and Thomas added 10 points and six rebounds. Short also handed out a career-high six assists. The Cougars shot 50.0 percent from the field (34-for-68), 48.7 percent from three-point range (19-for-39), and 60.0 percent from the free throw line (12-for-20).

“We shot the ball well from an offensive standpoint,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “We just were unable to get the defensive stops that we needed late in the game to get us over the hump in our comeback attempt. (Ashland) is a good NCAA Division II team and this would have been an upset if we could have come away with the win. Their size gave us some matchup difficulties and Richardson and Wackerly kept hitting big three-pointers every time we tried to make a run. We need to keep working on becoming better defensively.”

Richardson, a 6-foot-8 center, finished with 30 points that included five three-pointers, while Wackerly tossed in 26 points with six treys and six assists. Darius Brents added 16 points, and Cory Thomasson chipped in with 10 points. Blake Saunders also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Cougars will return to action on Friday when they take part in the North Central (Ill.) College Tournament. MVNU will square off with St. Mary’s (Minn.) University (0-1) at 4:00 p.m. CST in the first round of the two-day event.