The Cougars (2-1) struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the first half as the visiting Eagles (3-1) built an early 18-11 lead over the first 11 minutes of action. Then, MVNU finally began to get going as the Cougars used a 17-8 run to take their first lead of the game 28-26 with 3:30 left in the half on a three-pointer by senior guard Austin Kaiser.

From there, the game went back and forth for the rest of the half as MVNU took a slim 37-36 advantage to the locker room.

Kaiser paced the Cougars with 10 first-half points off the bench, while junior guard Brandon Short (left) and senior wing Travis Brown added six points apiece. MVNU shot just 36.7 percent from the field (11-for-30), 50 percent from the three-point line (2-for-4), and 68.4 percent from the free throw line (13-for-19).

Phillip Morrison led Asbury with 16 points half points as he went 4-for-4 from three-point range. The Eagles shot 51.9 percent from the field in the half (14-for-27), 44.4 percent from three-point range (4-for-9), and 66.7 percent at the free throw line (4-for-6).

The Cougars got off to a good start in the second half as they built a 57-43 lead by the 12:08 mark to take their biggest lead of the game. Brown led the surge with seven points, while junior forward Adam Grimm added six points.

MVNU still held a 71-61 lead with just under six minutes to play when Asbury began to mount its comeback. The Cougars went just 1-for-5 from the field and 0-for-2 at the free throw line as well as committing two turnovers as the lead evaporated to just 73-71 with 2:28 left.

A pair of free throws by Brown with 2:18 to play in regulation pushed the lead back to 75-71. That would prove to be the team’s final points, though, as MVNU committed two turnovers and missed its final two shots.

Meanwhile, Adam Delph connected on a jumper with 1:38 to play to pull within 75-73. Then, Justin Jones beat the halftime buzzer by making a layup to send the game into overtime knotted at 75-75.

Short helped the Cougars to an 80-75 lead to start the extra session by nailing a three-pointer on the team’s first possession and then nailing a jumper with 3:20 left in overtime.

MVNU still led 83-79 with 1:03 to play after a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Robbie Taylor. However, Morrison went 1-for-2 at the free throw line and the Eagles ended up with the offensive rebound and Morrison scored again to close the gap to 83-82 with 16.7 seconds to go.

Kaiser split a pair of free throws with 14 ticks remaining to make it 84-82 in favor of the Cougars, but Morrison nailed a three-pointer with 5.3 seconds left to give Asbury an 85-84 overtime victory.

"We played well, but not well enough against a team with a great player in Morrison,” said MVNU coach Matt Moore. "We did a nice job of battling through some fatigue midway through the second half to build our lead by scoring on multiple possessions in a row, but we didn’t have the toughness to put them away.”

"Even though we didn’t shoot a great percentage, I felt very good about Bryce and Adam getting touches in the basket area,” Moore added. "The next level for us as a team is finishing plays. I didn’t think we lost the game tonight, but rather they won the game. I am very proud of our effort and hopefully this will help us get through tight games on down the road.”

Short led five players in double figures with 17 points, while Brown and Grimm each finished with 15 points apiece. Kaiser tossed in a season-high 13 points off the bench, and Taylor finished with 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Senior post Bryce Sanborn also contributed eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Cougars, who lost the Friday night Homecoming game for only the second time in 27 years, shot 40 percent from the field (28-for-70), 30.8 percent from three-point range (4-for-13), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (24-for-36).

Morrison torched the MVNU defense for 36 points on 12-for-17 shooting from the field that included 5-for-7 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Brian Johnson added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Jones tallied eight points, seven blocks, and a team-high 11 rebounds. Asbury shot 49.2 percent from the field (31-for-63), 40.7 percent from three-point range (11-for-27), and 50 percent from the free throw line (12-for-24).

The Cougars will look to bounce back on Tuesday when the team will host Notre Dame College in an American Mideast Conference game that will tip off at 7:30 p.m.