The game went back and forth from the tip with the host Warriors (0-2), who received a vote in the NAIA Division II preseason poll and went 21-10 a year ago, holding an 11-9 lead just over five minutes into the contest.

MVNU (1-0) used a 13-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 22-12 lead at the 11:27 mark as senior guard Austin Kaiser capped the spurt with a three-pointer and then a steal and layup for five quick points of his own.

After Indiana Tech closed the gap to 25-20, the Cougars went on a 9-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 34-22 with 5:21 left before the break.

However, the Warriors were not about to give in as Indiana Tech closed the half on a 13-4 run of its own to pull within 38-35 as the teams went to the locker rooms for the intermission.

Junior guard Brandon Short (left) led MVNU with 10 first-half points, three assists, and three steals, while senior wing Travis Brown added nine points as he went 3-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc.

The game stayed close to start the second half with the score knotted at 40-40 a minute and a half into the final period when the Warriors’ Anthony Johnson drained a three-pointer.

However, the Cougars scored eight of the next 10 points to push the lead back out to 50-42 by the 15:44 mark and were able to hold on to that margin as MVNU still led 63-55 with 7:14 left in the contest.

At that point, Indiana Tech went on an 11-4 run to pull within 67-66 with just over three minutes remaining.

On the Cougars’ next possession, they used an offensive rebound off a missed free throw to give themselves a second chance to score. That proved to be a big play as with the shot clock winding down to just two seconds sophomore guard Robbie Taylor took a pass from Brown and nailed a three-pointer to extend MVNU’s lead back out to 70-66.

Then, as the Warriors were bringing the ball down the court, Short stole a pass and raced to the other end for a dunk to put the Cougars on top 72-66 with 1:48 remaining.

After Indiana Tech got a basket with 1:01 left to make it 72-68, MVNU finished out the game at the free throw line where the Cougars went 4-for-8 over the final minute while also holding the Warriors to no points as MVNU posted the 76-68 victory.

"It was nice to go on the road and get a win to start the season,” said Moore, who notched his first win as a college head coach ironically in his home state of Indiana. "The game got close down the stretch, but guys stepped up and made big plays when they needed to in order to get the job done.”

"I was pleased with the way that we kept the pressure on them,” Moore added. "We thought that we could wear them down by keeping the game up-tempo, and I thought we did a nice job of responding every time they would make a run. We still have plenty of areas that we need to get better in, but we are happy to get this win.”

The Cougars had five players score in double figures led by Brown with 15 points. Short finished with 14 points, a school record-tying eight steals, seven assists, and seven rebounds, while senior post Bryce Sanborn posted a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while dishing out three assists. Taylor added 11 points, and junior forward Adam Grimm contributed 10 points. Kaiser also chipped in with eight pints and five assists off the bench. MVNU shot 51.7 percent from the field for the game (30-for-58), 50 percent from three-point range (6-for-12), and 45.5 percent from the free throw line (10-for-22). The Cougars also posted a 38-31 edge in rebounds and compiled 21 assists as a team.

Johnson led the Warriors with 16 points and five assists, while John Roche tossed in 14 points. Shaun Cabrera finished with 13 pints, and Carlos Woodard recorded eight points and eight rebounds. Indiana Tech shot 42.6 percent from the field (26-for-61), 37.5 percent from three-point range (6-for-16), and 90.9 percent from the free throw line (10-for-11).

MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Cougars will travel to Ohio Christian University for another non-conference game that will start at 7:00 p.m.