Cougars Roar Past Tracers 100-46 in A+ Autobrokers Opener


	Cougar Basketball Game Recap Cougars Roar Past Tracers 100-46 in A+ Autobrokers Opener written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (11-4-2011) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team got contributions from everyone on the team as the Cougars cruised to a 100-46 victory over Ohio University-Zanesville in the first round of the A+ Autobrokers Holiday Invitational on Friday night in the Physical Education Center. MVNU (2-0) rattled off the first 10 points of the game as junior guard Ben Severns drilled a 3-pointer, senior guard Robbie Taylor made back-to-back layups off of steals, and freshman guard Landon Israel *(left)* drained a trey as the shot clock ran down to give the Cougars a 10-0 lead at the 16:07 mark. A jumper by Winston Turner with 15:47 left in the half finally got the Tracers (0-1) on the scoreboard, but MVNU proceded to use a 48-14 run over the remainder of the half to build a comfortable 58-16 advantage as the teams went to their locker rooms at the break. Taylor led the Cougars with 14 first-half points, while senior forward Danil Zakhlebnyy added nine points. Sophomore post Caleb Williams and junior guard Bryce Barnes also tossed in seven points apiece. MVNU shot 55 percent from the field (22-for-40), 35.3 percent from 3-point range (6-for-17), and 72.7 percent from the free throw line (8-for-11). The Cougars also scored 34 points off 19 first-half turnovers by Ohio-Zanesville. A 9-5 run by the Tracers to start the second half closed the gap to 62-25 over the first four minutes, but that would be as close as Ohio-Zanesville would get as MVNU ballooned the lead out to as much as 92-34 on a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Garrison Hinkle with 5:01 left. From that point on, the only drama left was whether or not the Cougars would be able to reach the century mark. Then, with 15 seconds left, sophomore wing Matt Anglea sent the crowd into one final frenzy when he celebrated his 20th birthday by splitting a pair of free throws to make the final score 100-46. Taylor led MVNU for the second straight game as he finished with 20 points and five rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. Anglea *(right)* added 11 points off the bench, while Williams, Zakhlebnyy, Hinkle, and Barnes each finished with nine points apiece with Williams grabbing a team-high six rebounds to go with four assists. Freshman wing Jeremiah Townes tossed in eight points off the bench, and Israel and junior post Zach Zeltman each contributed seven points. The Cougars' bench accounted for 50 of the team's 100 points, and MVNU registered 21 assists and 21 steals while shooting 55.1 percent from the field (38-for-69), 29.6 percent from 3-point range (8-for-27), and 64 percent from the free throw line (16-for-25). Ohio-Zanesville was led by Nate Stewart with 10 points off the bench, while John Brothers added eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Tracers shot 38 percent from the field (19-for-50), 25 percent from 3-point range (2-for-8), and 46.2 percent from the free throw line (6-for-13). "We were able to build a nice lead and early and settled in at the defensive end of the floor with our first group," said MVNU coach Matt Moore. "I thought we rushed a few shots in the first 10 minutes, but we found a nice rhythm and we were able to open up the game. It was nice to see our bench contribute with big minutes. We will need a few of those guys to fill some gaps for us as we are nursing through some injuries. Overall, I was very pleased with the total team effort." The Cougars will now face Ohio Christian University in the championship game of the A+ Autobrokers Holiday Invitational on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Trailblazers (1-0) knocked off Siena Heights (Mich.) University 79-70 in Friday's other first round game. Tirrell Cumberland led Ohio Christian in the win with 21 points, while Mohamed Fall added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Nick Kosovich was the leading scorer for the Saints (0-1), who will face Ohio-Zanesville in the consolation game at 2 p.m.

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