Men’s Basketball Sinks No. 11 Pilots in Ariel

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team (15-11, 7-9 CL) hosted No. 11 Bethel University (21-5, 11-5 CL) on Saturday, February 14 at Ariel Arena. 

It was Jesus Won Day in Ariel Arena, a day that all Crossroads League schools participated in to show the impact of Christ on the lives of its student-athletes throughout the faith-based conference. 

Bethel got off to a hot start, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead. Bethel controlled the first part of the first half, but the Cougars battled back to take its first lead of the game after Reed Platfoot's three as the shot clock expired put MVNU up 18-16. MVNU built its lead to 22-16, but the Pilots used a 9-2 run to claim a 25-24 advantage with 6:16 left in the half. Bethel remained ahead at halftime with a score of 38-36. 

Bethel continued to hold its lead for the first seven minutes of the second half until a Kieran Granville layup put MVNU up 58-57. Now with the lead, MVNU put its foot on the gas and didn't let up. The Cougars continued to stretch the lead, found themselves up 66-57 with 10:22 left after an Isaiah Brown jumper. MVNU would not relinquish its lead for the remainder of the game and would win by a final score of 91-83 over a top 15 opponent in the nation. 

MVNU shot 54.8% from the field and 42.9% (6-14) from three. Trent Koning led MVNU with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Brown had 17 points, three rebounds, and two blocks. Platfoot scored 16 points while grabbing three rebounds and blocking two shots. Peyton Heiss recorded a triple double for MVNU, recording 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Abib Abib had 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Granville contributed 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. 

Coach Ronai's Thoughts 

"Really proud of our group. We faced many moments of adversity together out there today and kept on responding. We're young, but that is a sign of a group that is maturing. We have more growth to get to, and we're excited to get better on Monday." 

What's Next 

MVNU will play at Goshen College on Wednesday, February 18, with tip-off coming at 7:30 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.