MVNU (4-3, 0-2 AMC) got off to a good start in the game as senior wing Travis Brown scored six points to lead the Cougars to an early 12-4 lead just over four minutes into the contest.

The host Bears (2-7, 1-0 AMC) rattled off 10 straight points to take a 14-12 lead as Tyler Morgan scored six points and Tyler Boyles added four points.

Shawnee State pushed its lead out to 27-22 on a three-pointer by Ian Nixson at the 7:53 mark, but a trey by freshman guard Ben Severns, a layup by junior guard Brandon Short, and a jumper by Severns helped the Cougars take a 29-27 lead with 4:38 left in the half.

At that point, the Bears closed the half on a 16-7 run as Shawnee State took a 43-36 lead to the locker room at the break. Keelyn Franklin hit a pair of three-pointers and Zak Metz and Nixson each added a trey to fuel the surge.

Senior post Bryce Sanborn led MVNU with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half, while Brown added nine points. The Cougars shot 53.6 percent from the field (15-for-28), 42.9 percent from three-point range (3-for-7), and 75 percent from the free throw line (3-for-4), but they also committed 13 turnovers to just six miscues by the Bears.

Shawnee State was led by Franklin with 13 points as he hit a trio of treys. Morgan also tossed in nine points. The Bears shot 54.8 percent from the field (17-for-31), 43.8 percent from three-point range (7-for-16), and 50 percent from the free throw line (2-for-4).

MVNU went right to work in the second half as the Cougars used an 11-3 run to open the final period by taking a 47-46 lead on a three-pointer by Severns at the 13:49 mark.

The two teams traded baskets and the lead over the next four minutes with Shawnee State holding a slim 53-52 advantage as the clock moved under the 10-minute mark.

MVNU went on an 11-2 run to take a 63-55 lead with 6:42 to play as senior guard Austin Kaiser (right) scored five points, senior guard Jonathan Gurney nailed his first career three-pointer, and Short added three-points.

However, the Cougars then 2-for-7 from the field and 1-for-4 from the free throw line as the Bears regained the lead 72-68.

A three-pointer by Kaiser with 28.5 seconds left made it 72-71, and MVNU had a chance to knot the score after Franklin split a pair of free throws with 26 seconds to go to push the Shawnee State lead to 73-71.

With the Cougars looking for either the tying or go-ahead basket and the clock ticking away, Short lost the ball on a drive to the basket with under 12 seconds to play and Nixson scooped it up for a layup the other way as the Bears capped off the 75-71 victory.

"We got beat by a hungrier team tonight,” said MVNU coach Matt Moore. "I am not going to make the excuse that we were without Robbie (Taylor) due to an injury because we have capable guys that need to step in and fill that void.”

"I thought we were solid for the most part offensively, but we gave up too many big plays on the defensive end of the floor,” Moore added. "The good thing for us is that we get to go back to work tomorrow and work on getting better. We need to because we have a worthy opponent this weekend in Mid-Continent.”

Kaiser finished with a season-high 18 points, while Sanborn posted another double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Brown finished with 11 points, and junior forward Adam Grimm tallied nine points to go with five rebounds. Severns also fired in eight points off the bench. The Cougars shot 49 percent from the field (25-for-51), 50 percent from three-point range (6-for-12), and 60 percent from the free throw line (15-for-25). MVNU posted a 35-26 advantage in rebounds, but the Cougars committed 19 turnovers.

Franklin finished with 22 points to lead four players in double figures for Shawnee State. Nixson and Morgan tossed in 14 points apiece, and Boyles chipped in with 10 points. The Bears shot 51.9 percent from the field for the game (27-for-52), 43.5 percent from three-point range (10-for-23), and 57.9 percent from the free throw line (11-for-19).

The Cougars will return to action on Friday at 8:00 p.m. when MVNU will face Mid-Continent (Ky.) University in the first round of the A+ Autobrokers Holiday Invitational. The first game of the night will feature Ohio Dominican University versus Concordia (Mich.) University at 6:00 p.m. Then, on Saturday, the consolation game will take place at 1:00 p.m. followed by the championship game at 3:00 p.m.