Comeback Effort Not Enough for Men’s Basketball against (RV) Foresters

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team (12-9, 4-7 CL) hosted a Crossroads League game against (RV) Huntington University (16-5, 7-4 CL) on Wednesday, January 28 at Ariel Arena. 

The first half opened with the Foresters scoring the first points of the game before Trent Koning answered with one of his seven three-pointers on the night. Four minutes in, Huntington jumped out to a 12–3 lead, but Abib Abib trimmed the deficit to six with a three of his own. Reed Platfoot then drew a foul on a shot attempt and calmly sank both free throws, though Huntington still held a 12–8 advantage. At the 9:14 mark, the Cougars cut the lead to just one, but they were unable to slow down the Foresters, who extended the margin to 10 points with one minute remaining in the half. Huntington carried that momentum into the break, leading the Cougars 45–33 at halftime. 

Platfoot opened the second half with the first basket, and Peyton Heiss added a layup to cut the deficit to eight, making the score 47–39. Huntington put its foot on the gas offensively as it slowly began to extend its lead more. At the 9:11 mark, Huntington pushed its lead to a game-high 14 points, going up 68–54. The Cougars responded by clawing their way back, as Koning knocked down two more threes and Heiss converted two free throws to trim Huntington's advantage to just four at 74-70 with 3:02 remaining. In the end, Huntington secured the game down the stretch, outscoring MVNU 7-4 in the final minutes. MVNU fell by a final of 81-74. 

Koning led all scorers in the game with 28 points on 10-21 shooting from the floor and 7-15 shooting from three. Platfoot scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out five assists. Heiss finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Despite the loss, MVNU won the rebounding battle 43-33. 

Coach Ronai's Thoughts 

"Another physical, hard fought Crossroads League game. Proud of our group for hanging in. They are doing a lot of good things. Huntington causes a lot of issues on both ends with their length on the interior. Our young group has to continue to learn and get better. Looking forward to getting better tomorrow." 

What's Next 

MVNU will be on the road traveling to Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan on Saturday, January 31 at 3:00 p.m.  

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, 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 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.