Mt. Mercy Men's Basketball

Mount Mercy men fall in final minute

FAYETTE, Mo. - The short-handed Mount Mercy Mustangs came within 60 seconds of collecting a precious road victory Monday night.

Mount Mercy rallied from a 12-point deficit and took a 79-78 lead over Central Methodist on a 3-pointer by Mohammed Albagami with 1:04 remaining, but the Mustangs did not scored again.

Central Methodist scored the last eight points in the final 57 seconds and posted an 86-79 victory over the Mustangs in a Heart of America  Conference game.

Mount Mercy (9-8, 4-7) dropped its third straight outing, a streak that corresponds with Mychael Brawner-Henley (suspension) and Bailey Basala (sprained ankle) being out of action.

Dennis McKinney had a big game for the Mustangs with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Albagami finished with six 3-pointers and 20 points. Antwain Strong and Mike Evans scored 11 points apiece.

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Mustangs fall to No. 2 William Penn

OSKALOOSA - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team got off to a  terrific start against William Penn Thursday night with a 14-point  lead in the first half, but it went downhill from there.

The Mustangs lost to the second-ranked Statesmen, 99-79, in a Heart of  America Conference game at Penn Gymnasium.

Mount Mercy faced a monumental assignment with two of its top players  - Mychael Brawner-Henley (suspended) and Bailey Basala (injury) - not  in uniform, but the Mustangs raced to a 32-18 lead with 9:48 left in  the first half despite being short-handed.

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Gritty Mustangs fall short in OT

Mount Mercy Coach Aaron Jennings does not deal in excuses, but it's hard to beat the 17th-ranked team in the country with two of your star players on the bench.

That was the story on Saturday, despite a terrific rally that nearly snatched victory from defeat.

The short-handed Mustangs erased a 17-point deficit in the last six minutes of the second half Saturday with a furious comeback, but they ended up falling in overtime.

Peru State prevailed, 88-80, in a dramatic Heart of America Conference game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Mychael Brawner-Henley, who averages 13.6 points, will be sidelined for several more weeks after failing to meet school requirements. Bailey Basala, one of the top 3-point shooters in the country, twisted his ankle with 5 minutes left in the first half and did not play again after making five straight 3-pointers in less than eight minutes.

On top of that, star point guard Antwain Strong missed a key stretch in overtime after suffering a painful cramp in his leg.

"That makes a difference," said Jennings. "When three good players are not in the game, that absolutely makes a difference."

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Mustangs climb to 4th place in Heart

Aaron Jennings extended his palms and told his guys to slow it down midway through the second half Wednesday night, but the Mount Mercy coach was not abandoning his high-powered offense in favor of a  methodical brand of basketball.

Mychael Brawner-Henley had just hit a 3-pointer for the Mustangs and  was making just about everything he launched, so Jennings wanted to  run a little offense and find another good shot for a hot shooter.

Sure enough, the Mustangs found Brawner-Henley in a good spot and he  drilled another 3-pointer to justify his coach's approach.

The moment was a snap-shot in another highly entertaining victory for  Mount Mercy, this time a 104-88 conquest of Missouri Valley in a Heart  of America Conference game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

The Mustangs led by 30 points, 104-74, with 3:41 remaining, so it  hardly mattered that Missouri Valley scored the last 14 points of the  ballgame in mop-up time.

The victory lifted Mount Mercy (9-5) into a four-tie for fourth place  in the conference at 4-4.

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