Mt. Mercy Men's Basketball

Mustangs rally with 'D' and 19 3's

The Pioneers from MidAmerica Nazarene put on a clinic during the first  half at the Hennessey Recreation Center Saturday.

They hit just about every shot they took. If they missed, they usually  grabbed the offensive rebound and scored again. The Mount Mercy  defenders were typically a step behind.

The Pioneers pounded Mount Mercy on the backboards in the first half,  built a 16-point lead and appeared headed to an easy victory over the  Mustangs.

Mount Mercy Coach Aaron Jennings was not happy.

"We talked at halftime about having some pride," he said. "You can't  get pushed around in a basketball game."

The Mustangs listened and responded.

Mount Mercy stiffened its defense, hit a string of clutch 3-pointers  and rallied to defeat MidAmerica Nazarene, 89-82, in a Heart of  America Conference game.

Read more...

Mustangs fall short at Culver-Stockton

CANTON, Mo. - The Mount Mercy Mustangs lost to a hot-shooting team on  a cold night Thursday.

Mike Johnson poured in 31 points as Culver-Stockton topped the  Mustangs, 97-87, in a Heart of America Conference game.

Three Culver-Stockton players combined to score 73 points with Johnson  netting 31, Mason Vires 22 and Thaddeus Newby 20. Johnson and Newby  canned five 3-pointers.

Culver-Stockton shot 55.9 percent from the floor and was 12 of 17 on  3-pointers for a sizzling 70.6 percent, including an 8 for 8  performance from long distance in the second half.

Antwain Strong led five Mustangs into double figures with 17 points.  Dennis McKinney and Christian Reischauer netted 14 points apiece, Mike  Evans 13 and DJ Johnson 12. Bailey Basala returned to action after  missing four games with a sprained ankle and hit three triples for  nine points.

Read more...

No. 7 Benedictine trims Mustang men

ATCHISON, Kan. - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team gave seventh-ranked Benedictine a good battle Saturday before falling, 97-90, in a Heart of America Conference game.

The Mustangs took a 67-66 lead on a 3-pointer by Christian Reischauer with 11:22 remaining and trailed by only a single point, 77-76, with 8:30 left in the game.

Dennis McKinney scored 26 points for Mount Mercy (10-9, 5-8). DJ Johnson poured in a career-best 21 points with four 3-pointers off the bench. Antwain Strong had 13 points and five assists.

The Mustangs played again without Bailey Basala (ankle) and Mychael Brawner-Henley (suspension).

Read more...

Gritty Mustangs knock off Clarke

If you thought the Mount Mercy Mustangs were going to surrender just because two of their best players are out of action, guess again.

There's no quit in these guys.

The Mustangs banded together and dug a little deeper into their bench Wednesday night and held off Clarke, 88-80, in a Heart of America Conference men's basketball game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Mohammed Albagami, who has stepped into the starting lineup the last three games, popped in four 3-pointers and notched 20 points to share team scoring honors with Dennis McKinney.

Antwain Strong almost collected a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Mike Evans contributed 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals. DJ Johnson, who was the ninth man in an eight-man rotation much of the season, played 23 minutes and scored 11 points.

"It's next man up," said Albagami, a senior from Battle Creek, Mich. "We're just trying to keep getting better."

Mychael Brawner-Henley (suspension) and Bailey Basala (sprained ankle) are expected back in the next week or two, and in the meantime the Mustangs are trying to keep it all together.

"Once we get everybody back to full strength, we feel like we can beat anybody," said Albagami. "We just have to keep it going."

Read more...