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Cougar Basketball Game Recap
Cougars Have No Answer for Coons in 75-67
Loss at Taylor
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director
Game Boxscore
UPLAND, Ind. (11-29-2011) - The Mount Vernon
Nazarene University men's basketball team
had no answer for Taylor University guard
Casey Coons as he poured in 35 points to
lead the Trojans to a 75-67 victory in
Mid-Central College Conference action on
Tuesday night in Odle Arena.
The
visiting Cougars (4-5, 0-2 MCC) got off to a
good start in the game as senior forward
Danil Zakhlebnyy nailed a pair of 3-pointers
and sophomore post Caleb Williams added
three points to give MVNU an early 9-4 lead.
However, Coons nailed three straight
treys and then made all three free throws
after being fouled on a fourth 3-pointer as
Taylor (6-2, 1-1), which received votes in
the latest NAIA Division II poll, took a
16-14 lead with 11:19 left in the half.
After Williams split a pair of free
throws to trim the lead to 16-15, the
Trojans used a 23-8 run to take a 39-23
advantage before settling for a 39-27
halftime lead.
Williams and
Zakhlebnyy each scored eight points apiece
to lead MVNU. The Cougars shot 45 percent
from the field (9-for-20), 42.9 percent from
3-point range (3-for-7), and 66.7 percent
from the free throw line (6-for-9).
Coons scored 21 first-half points as he went
6-for-7 from 3-point range to pace Taylor.
Jake Burkholder also added eight points. The
Trojans shot 53.8 percent from the field
(14-for-26), 75 percent from 3-point range
(6-for-8), and 100 percent from the charity
stripe (5-for-5).
Taylor extended its
lead to 48-32 just three minutes into the
second half, but then MVNU began to chip
away at the lead with a 14-4 run to close
the gap to 52-46 on a three-point play by
senior post Josh Weikert at the 9:47 mark.
Junior guard Ben Severns nailed a pair of
treys to help fuel the comeback.
The
Cougars were able to stay within striking
distance the rest of the way, but the
Trojans went 11-for-12 at the free throw
line over the final 54 seconds as Taylor was
able to hold on for the 75-67 victory.
Severns led MVNU with 17 points as he
hit a trio of treys and went 8-for-9 from
the charity stripe. Senior guard Robbie
Taylor added 15 points, Zakhlebnyy finished
with 10 points, and Williams contributed 10
points and five rebounds. The Cougars shot
45.8 percent from the field (22-for-48), 50
percent from 3-point range (9-for-18), and
77.8 percent from the free throw line
(14-for-18).
Coons scorched the nets
for 35 points as he went 7-for-11 from
3-point range and 12-for-13 at the free
throw line. Burkholder also had 18 points as
he went 8-for-8 from the field. Taylor shot
44.4 percent from the field (24-for-54),
53.8 percent from 3-point range (7-for-13),
and 90.9 percent from the free throw line
(20-for-22). The Trojans also posted a 33-24
rebounding advantage.
"I thought we
gave ourselves chances tonight, but we
didn't make good decisions at the offensive
end of the floor at critical times," said
MVNU coach Matt Moore. "In this
league, it comes down to execution and we
are finding out the holes in our game as a
team."
Things will not
get any easier for MVNU as the Cougars will
look to snap their four-game losing skid on
Saturday at home when NAIA Division II No. 1
Indiana Wesleyan University comes to the
Physical Education Center for an MCC game
that will tip off at 3 p.m.
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