MISHAWAKA. Ind. – Mount Vernon Nazarene University Men’s Basketball earned its first ever win at Bethel, and picked up its third win of the 2017-2018 season over an NAIA Division II Top-25 opponent with a 77-73 overtime victory.
The win against the No. 11 Pilots was the third straight in the Crossroads League for coach Jared Ronai and MVNU. The Cougars also have won five of their last six, which included another impressive road win at No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan on Jan. 3.
“I am so proud of our men tonight,” Ronai said. “They showed incredible toughness and grit in a very difficult place to play. Their composure and focus on both ends of the floor was tremendous. We did a great job in the second half keeping them off the glass and we executed well down the stretch. We are excited to get better tomorrow.”
The Cougars faced a deficit that grew as large as 11 points at 52-41 with 11:33 left, but they fought all the way back to tie it up at 65-65 with a basket from Joe Schmitz with one minute remaining in regulation.
Gage Ott responded for the Pilots with a basket 15 seconds later, and on the next possession MVNU’s Brett Vipperman barely came up short with a three-point attempt from the left corner that would have put them ahead.
Bethel controlled the rebound, and the outcome appeared bleak as the seconds dwindled and MVNU still trailed by a basket. After three consecutive fouls put Bethel in the bonus with 15 ticks to play however, Ott missed the front end of the one-and-one and Jordi Mas grabbed the board.
The Cougars advanced the ball past half court and called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining. Following the huddle, point guard Jacob Paul and Mas ran a pick and roll to perfection on the left side, spring the 7-footer from Barcelona, Spain wide open under the basket for the game-tying layup on a nice bounce pass from Paul.
Kyle Hartman’s running jumper from just inside the three-point arc at the buzzer missed its mark, setting the stage for overtime.
After the teams each got two points, Schmitz put the Cougars ahead 71-69 with a twirling drive and score off the glass with 3:12 on the clock. Hartman however would tie it up on Bethel’s next possession late in the shot clock with a challenging step back jumper.
MVNU scored the next four points to seize a 75-71 advantage, as Jevon Knox knocked in two free-throws and Vipperman finished around the cup for two. Ott scored on the next Bethel possession, and the Cougars came up empty as they ran the clock down. Bethel grabbed a rebound and called a timeout down two with seven seconds on the clock, but MVNU forced a turnover with aggressive interior defense on an entry pass before Knox was fouled with just two seconds remaining.
It proved to be the right man on the line for the Cougars, as the freshman Knox stepped to the stripe having hit 44-of- 46 (95.6 percent) so far on the season. Both of his attempts went in smoothly to seal the deal, moving MVNU into a tie for third place with the Pilots in the Crossroads League standings with a 6-3 record.
Balanced scoring was a key to the game for the Cougars, as five players were in double-figures.
Mas had a big double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds from the post, his first double-double of the season that included the needed basket to force overtime. Schmitz had an efficient 12 points. Vipperman and Knox each put in 11 with Knox also contributing five assists, four rebounds, and defensively with a career-high four steals. Jeremiah Roberts finished with 10 points, and Paul had a solid all-around performance from the point with nine points, five assists, and four rebounds in 39 minutes played.
Following another impressive road victory, MVNU (14-7, 6-3 CL) will now have a short turnaround before it hosts Huntington (7-14, 3-6 CL) on Saturday, Jan, 20 at 3 p.m. on Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day.
