Strong Second Half Pushes No. 2 Walsh Past Cougars 77-65


	Cougar Basketball Game Recap Strong Second Half Pushes No. 2 Walsh Past Cougars 77-65 written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (1-12-2010) - It was a tale of two halves on Tuesday night in the Physical Education Center as the Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team led NAIA Division II No. 2 Walsh University by a point at the intermission before the visiting Cavaliers pulled away for a 77-65 American Mideast Conference victory. The Cougars (8-9, 1-4 AMC) got off to a good start in the game as MVNU led 13-8 at the 12:45 mark of the first half after a jumper by senior post Bryce Sanborn. Junior forward Adam Grimm and senior wing Travis Brown (left) each added four early points apiece, and sophomore guard Robbie Taylor nailed a three-pointer. Then, Walsh (15-1, 5-0 AMC) went on a 21-6 lead to take a 29-19 lead with 5:46 to go in the half. Ricky Jackson led the way with six points, Brandon Speck tossed in five points, and Lamar Skeeter went 4-for-4 at the free throw line. With the Cavaliers leading 31-21, the Cougars roared back with a 15-2 run to take a 36-33 lead on Sanborn’s jumper with 24 seconds left before the break. Brown led the comeback with seven points, while junior guard Brandon Short added six points including a crowd-pleasing alley-oop dunk. A layup just ahead of the halftime buzzer by Jackson off an air-balled three-pointer by Speck made it 36-35 as MVNU took the lead to the locker room. "Our guys did a tremendous job in the first half of withstanding Walsh’s run and capitalizing with a run of our own to capture the lead before the break,” said MVNU coach Matt Moore. "Brandon and Travis both did a great job of keeping us paced by knocking down shots and getting to the basket. I thought our composure in the first half was key and really gave our guys a confidence boost.” Brown went 6-for-7 from the field in the first half on his way to 13 points for the Cougars, while Short added eight points. MVNU shot 58.6 percent from the field (17-for-29), 33.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-6), and missed all three of its free throw attempts. Skeeter paced Walsh with 10 first-half points as he went 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Jackson added eight points. The Cavaliers shot 39.3 percent from the field (11-for-28), 16.7 percent from three-point range (1-for-6), and 92.3 percent from the free throw line (12-for-13). With the Cougars leading 40-38 just over two minutes into the second half, Walsh used a 28-12 run to build its biggest lead of the game at 66-52 with 8:03 left. Jeremy Shardo led the surge with 13 points, while Jackson added five points. MVNU was able to get the deficit down to 68-60 with 5:57 to go on a jumper by Jordan Heatherly, but that was as close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way as the Cavaliers went 5-for-6 at the free throw line and held MVNU to just 1-for-7 shooting from the field down the stretch as Walsh prevailed 77-65. Brown led the Cougars with 15 points, while Short finished with 14 points. Taylor and Heatherly added 10 points apiece, and Grimm scored eight points. Sanborn also grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds. MVNU shot 51.9 percent from the field (28-for-54), 30 percent from three-point range (3-for-10), and 60 percent from the free throw line (6-for-10). The Cougars, who committed 16 turnovers, did hold the top scoring team in NAIA Division II 21 points below its season average (98.7). Walsh was led by Shardo with 20 points, while Skeeter added 17 points as he went 12-for-12 at the free throw line. Jackson also contributed 16 points and nine rebounds. The Cavaliers shot 44.6 percent from the field (25-for-56), 29.4 percent from three-point range (5-for-17), and 88 percent at the free throw line (22-for-25). "It is tough to beat great teams when they shoot 15 more free throws and have 11 more possessions because of offensive rebounds and turnovers, but our team stood toe to toe with one of the best for about 33 minutes,” said Moore. "We have to be able to execute in critical situations and earn more free throws, but overall I was extremely proud of our kids’ effort tonight and their courage to play with passion.” MVNU will return to action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when the Cougars travel to the University of Northwestern Ohio for an AMC game that was snowed out last week. "We need to carry this effort into the weekend because we will be playing a very good Northwestern Ohio team that we are battling for a spot in the conference tournament,” said Moore.

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