Cougars Battle Hard Against No. 6 Grace on Senior Day

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team (14-14, 6-12) held its final home game of the regular season in Ariel Arena on Senior Day against the No. 6 Grace College Lancers (23-5, 15-3) on Saturday, February 22.  

Before the game, Milton Gage, Carter Jones, and Caleb Schall were honored for their commitment and dedication to the MVNU men's basketball program. 

The Lancers came out strong, quickly taking the lead against the Cougars. MVNU fought hard to stay in the game, but at the ten-minute mark of the first half, it trailed 10-25. The Cougars called a timeout to regroup. This sparked a rally, with Bailey Conrad, Gage, and Devin Dreier leading the charge to bring MVNU back into the game. With just two minutes left in the half, the Cougars had closed the gap to just five points and trailed 31-36. However, the Lancers late shooting surge extended their lead, and Grace entered halftime ahead, 43-31. 

The Lancers opened the second half strong, quickly building their largest lead of the game at 16 points with 18:59 remaining. MVNU wasn't done yet as it began to slowly chip away at Grace's lead. The Cougars mounted a comeback, cutting the Lancer lead to just three at 60-63 with 9:03 left on the clock. The game turned into a race to the finish, with MVNU closing the gap, but unable to consistently stop Grace's offense. Despite their efforts, the Cougars couldn't overtake the Lancers, who secured the victory by a final score of 84-77. 

Inside the Box Score 

Grace shot 50.9% from the floor and was 30% (6-20) from deep. 

MVNU had a 38.9 shooting percentage and shot 24.1% (7-29) from three. 

MVNU outrebounded Grace 37-33 on the day. The Cougars pulled down 12 offensive rebounds and turned those into 16 second-chance points. 

MVNU shot a perfect 20-20 from the free throw line. 

Conrad - 28 points (7-24 FG, 13-13 FT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal. 

Isaiah Brown - 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-3 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block. 

Peyton Heiss - 8 points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3 PT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals. 

Gage - 7 points (2-8 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists. 

Jones - 7 points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3PT), 9 rebounds, 1 assist. 

Bede Lori - 7 points (2-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT), 1 assist. 

Coach Ronai's Thoughts 

"Proud of our guys and their fight. They put themselves in position multiple times in the second half but just couldn't get over the hump against a top-ten team. Much to learn and grow from today. Looking forward to getting better this week." 

What's Next 

The Cougars enter the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals as the eighth seed and will play at top-seeded Grace College on Tuesday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. 

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,100 students from 33 states and 26 foreign countries.