The Cougars (4-2) jumped in front 12-6 out of the gate as senior center Bryce Sanborn led the early charge for MVNU with eight quick points.

However, Sanborn picked up two fouls and was forced to spend some time on the bench. Meanwhile, the Wolves (1-6) rode the hot hand of Ronald Wilson, who tossed in 15 first-half points after averaging just 11 in the team’s previous six games, as Michigan-Dearborn trailed just 34-30 with four minutes left in the half.

Then, the Cougars used a 9-4 run to close the half that included a three-pointer by sophomore guard Robbie Taylor - the team’s only trey of the first half - to take a 43-34 lead to the locker room at the break.

Junior guard Brandon Short (left) led MVNU with 11 first-half points, while Sanborn and junior forward Adam Grimm each had eight points apiece as they were both 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. The Cougars shot 50 percent from the field (17-for-34), 11.1 percent from three-point range (1-for-9), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (8-for-12).

Wilson scored nearly half of the Wolves’ first-half points with 15 of their 34. Nicholas Simpson also added eight points for Michigan-Dearborn, which shot 45.2 percent from the field (14-for-31), 14.3 percent from three-point range (1-for-7), and made all five of its free throw attempts.

After MVNU hit a basket to start the second half and take a 45-34 lead, the Wolves began to chip away at the deficit as Michigan-Dearborn pulled to within 57-53 with 15:20 left in the contest.

However, the Cougars used a 24-8 run to take an 81-61 advantage at the seven-minute mark following six points from Sanborn and back-to-back three-pointers by Short and freshman guard Ben Severns.

From that point on, MVNU cruised to the victory as the Cougars led by as much as 92-69 before settling for the 94-77 victory as everyone on the roster who dressed got in on the action.

"We really did a great job in the second half of getting good shots,” said MVNU coach Andrew Thompson, who filled in for head coach Matt Moore who did not make the trip as he and his wife, Anna, await the arrival of their first child at any moment. "We really went on a run midway through the second half once we were patient and worked to get the ball inside.”

"This was a great team effort,” Thompson added. "We were very unselfish with the ball and everyone was talking and picking each other up. This is a good win to keep building off of.”

Short led five Cougars in double figures with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Sanborn posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Grimm contributed 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Taylor and senior wing Travis Brown tossed in 12 and 11 points respectively. Senior guard Austin Kaiser also dished out eight assists to go with six points, and Severns tallied seven points off the bench. MVNU shot 53.5 percent from the field (38-for-71), 23.5 percent from three-point range (4-for-17), and 73.7 percent from the free throw line (14-for-19).

Wilson finished with a game-high 30 points to pace the Wolves as he nearly tripled his season average on 12-for-19 shooting from the field while also grabbing eight rebounds. Jonathon Cannon added 18 points, and Simpson finished with 16 points. Michigan-Dearborn shot 42.9 percent from the field (30-for-70), 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-14), and 78.9 percent from the free throw line (15-for-19).

The Cougars will now take a break for Thanksgiving before returning to action next Tuesday when the team will travel to Shawnee State University for an American Mideast Conference game that will tip off at 8:00 p.m.