MVNU (4-1), which is ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll, built an 18-7 lead over the first four and a half minutes as the Cougars made the first eight shots that they took with senior guard Ben Falkenberg leading the way with six points on a pair of treys.

MVNU continued to extend its lead in the first half as the Cougars ended up making 24-of-31 first-half field goal attempts (77.4 percent) including going 9-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc (81.8 percent).

Junior wing Travis Brown led MVNU with 13 first-half points off the bench as he went 5-for-5 from the field. Falkenberg added 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting that included a trio of three-pointers, while senior forward Jadin Thomas (left) added nine points on 4-for-5 shooting. All 12 Cougars scored at least two points in the first half as MVNU forced 15 first-half turnovers.

The Cardinals (0-2) shot 30.8 percent from the field (8-for-26) in the first half and went just 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) from three-point range. Lukas Holland led St. Mary’s with six first-half points.

Although the Cougars’ shooting cooled off in the second half, the damage had already been down. MVNU took its biggest lead at 78-35 with 12:01 to play on a three-pointer by senior guard Dan Borcherdt. From there, the closest that the Cardinals would get the rest of the way was 35 points on three occasions as the Cougars prevailed 99-59 to advance to the championship game of the tournament.

Brown finished 7-for-10 from the field as he led MVNU with a career-high 18 points off the bench. Thomas posted his fourth double-double in five games with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Falkenberg and sophomore guard Brandon Short (right) added 11 points apiece with Short matching his career high with six assists. Senior wing Andy Francis tossed in 10 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench, while Borcherdt and sophomore post Adam Grimm tallied eight points apiece with Borcherdt dishing out six assists. The Cougars shot 62.5 percent from the field (40-for-64), 52.4 percent from three-point range (11-for-21), and a dismal 47.1 percent from the free throw line (8-for-17).

“We played pretty well on both ends of the floor in the first half,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “I thought we really turned up the head defensively about five minutes into the game. That led to some easy baskets that we took advantage of. We also shot an extremely high percentage.”

“I was pleased with some of our guys off the bench as well,” Flemming continued. “Andy came in and gave us some great energy, while Travis played his best game as a Cougar. Tomorrow will bring a new challenge and we just have to stay consistent.”

Holland finished with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds to lead St. Mary’s, while Will Wright and Matt Murphy added eight points apiece. Patrick Connolly also grabbed eight rebounds and chipped in with six points. The Cardinals shot 35.0 percent from the field (21-for-60), 9.5 percent from three-point range (2-for-21), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (15-for-20).

With the win, the Cougars advance to the championship game of the tournament on Saturday to face host North Central, who defeated MacMurray (Ill.) College 107-68 in Friday’s other first round game. The championship game will tip off at 8:00 p.m. CST and can be heard live on WNZR 90.9 FM and at wnzr.fm/sports.html.