Short-Handed Cougars Put Forth Valiant Effort in 92-79 Loss


	Cougar Basketball Game Recap Short-Handed Cougars Put Forth Valiant Effort in 92-79 Loss written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore CEDARVILLE, Ohio (2-13-2010) - Despite playing without two injured starters, the Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team nailed a season-high 10 three-pointers and nearly rallied from a 17-point deficit before falling 92-79 at NAIA Division II No. 18 Cedarville University in American Mideast Conference action on Saturday night in front of 3,050 fans in the Callan Athletic Center. The Cougars (11-15, 3-10 AMC), who played without junior guard Brandon Short and junior forward Adam Grimm who combine to average 24.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, got off to a shaky start as the host Yellow Jackets (19-8, 11-2 AMC) built a 12-3 lead over the first five minutes with Chris Beals leading the way with a pair of three-pointers. With MVNU trailing just 22-16 at the 10:32 mark, Cedarville rattled off 10 straight points over the next two minutes to expand the cushion to 32-16. Beals converted a three-point play and Brandon Sok and Daniel Kohavi each drained a trey to help fuel the spurt. From there, the Yellow Jackets led by at least 11 points the rest of the half as Cedarville took a 52-38 advantage to the locker room at the break. Freshman guard Ben Severns and senior wing Travis Brown paced the Cougars in the first half as they each scored nine points off the bench with Severns hitting a trifecta of threes. Sophomore guard Robbie Taylor (left) also scored eight points and dished out three assists. MVNU shot 38.7 percent from the field (12-for-31), a blistering 63.6 percent from three-point range (7-for-11), and 87.5 percent from the free throw line (7-for-8). Cedarville was led by Beals and Austin Foote with 10 points each, while Sok came off the bench to score seven points. The Yellow Jackets scorched the nets at a 62.5 percent clip from the field (20-for-32), 52.9 percent from three-point range (9-for-17), and 33.3 percent from the free throw line (3-for-9). Cedarville also had a 21-14 rebounding advantage at the half. Another three-pointer by Beals to start the second half extended the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 55-38 as it looked like Cedarville might begin to pull away. However, the Cougars did not give up. Trailing 77-63 with 8:50 left in the game, MVNU went on a 9-0 run to pull within 77-72 following a pair of free throws by junior guard Brady Swanson at the 6:12 mark. That was as close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way, though, as MVNU shot just 3-for-9 from the field and committed three turnovers down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets went 10-for-10 at the free throw line over the final 4:01 to protect their lead and secure the hard-fought 92-79 victory. "We got beat tonight not because of any lack of effort or heart, but mainly on experience,” said MVNU coach Matt Moore. "Our guys did a great job of weathering the storm to cut the lead to five, but credit goes to (Cedarville) because they have senior leaders who are resilient and have been in these situations before.” "Our bench did a great job of giving us a boost offensively, and we were in the game despite (Cedarville’s) high field goal percentage,” Moore added. "We just need to be able to finish plays at critical times down the stretch. I love coaching fighters, though, and right now our guys are giving me all they have.” Taylor led the Cougars with 19 points, while Brown tossed in 15 points off the bench. Severns also contributed 12 points with four three-pointers, and Sanborn contributed eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. MVNU shot 38.2 percent from the field (26-for-68), 50 percent from three-point range (10-for-20), and 73.9 percent from the free throw line (17-for-23). In addition to a season-high in three-pointers made, the Cougars also had a season-low seven turnovers. Foote came off the bench to lead Cedarville with a game-high 22 points as he buried four treys. Beals added 17 points, while Ricardo Alliman finished with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Sok tossed in 10 points, and Derrick Hannon tallied eight points and nine rebounds. The Yellow Jackets shot 50.8 percent from the field (30-for-59), 48.3 percent from three-point range (14-for-29), and 72 percent from the free throw line (18-for-25). Things will not get any easier for MVNU when the teams return to action at Walsh University, the No. 1 team in NAIA Division II. The Cavaliers are 25-2 overall and 13-1 in the AMC. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. in the conference contest.

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