Mustangs
get overtime win, earn seventh seed in MCC tourney
Posted
2/24/08 8:29 AM
Brandon Barnhart |
Curtis Kilgore |
LA CROSSE,
Wis. -- Mount Mercy College came back from a 16-point deficit
in the second half to defeat Viterbo University (Wis.), 78-75,
in overtime in a Midwest Collegiate Conference men's basketball
regular season finale on Saturday at R.W. Beggs Gymnasium.
After trailing,
38-26, at the half, the Mustangs (13-15, 6-10 MCC) hit 6-of-8
from 3-point range and shot 60 percent from the field after the
break to get back in the ballgame. After a layup by freshman forward
Marty Tope tied the contest at 56-56 with 7:30 to play, senior
forward Brett McGee's 3-pointer 30 seconds later gave Mount Mercy
its first lead since a 21-20 advantage with 5:30 left in the first
period. A free throw by senior guard Dillon Allen put the Mustangs
in front, 69-67, with 24 seconds remaining, but Nick Stillwell's
layup on Viterbo's next possession forced overtime.
Mount Mercy
took a three point lead out of the gate in the extra session and
held Viterbo scoreless for nearly four minutes until Scott Buschman's
layup brought the V-Hawks (8-21, 3-13 MCC) within 72-71 with 1:11
to go. Senior forward Curtis Kilgore answered with a layup and
later, the Mustangs led, 77-72, after a pair of free throws by
junior forward Brandon Barnhart with 11 seconds on the clock.
An Eric Ambrose triple with five seconds left kept Viterbo's hopes
alive, but his 3-point attempt after another Barnhart foul shot
was off the mark and Mount Mercy had just its second road win
of the season.
Barnhart posted
his third double-double of the season -- and second against the
V-Hawks -- with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kilgore
added 18 points, five boards, and three steals. Senior center
Steve Smith tallied 11 points, McGee and junior guard Lucas Blood
10 points each.
Buschman's
game-high 22 points topped Viterbo. He was joined in double digits
by Eric Ambrose with 17 points, Ryan Ambrose with 14, and Drew
Knutson with 11. Eric Ambrose also recorded a team-best seven
rebounds and five assists, while Knutson had four steals.
Mount Mercy
avoided a first round game in the 2008 MCC Men's Basketball Tournament
on Monday, and will take the No. 7 seed into a Wednesday quarterfinal
at second-seeded Clarke College (19-11, 12-4 MCC) at 7:00 p.m.
at the Kehl Center in Dubuque, Iowa. Both teams won at home in
the regular season. The Mustangs beat the Crusaders, 69-59, on
Jan. 16 and fell, 75-74, on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Clarke's
DeMonte Bynum on Feb. 13.
Eighth-seeded
Waldorf College (15-15, 6-10 MCC) hosts Viterbo in a first round
contest on Monday. The winner moves on to face top-seeded and
regular season champ William Penn University (25-5, 13-3 MCC)
on Wednesday in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Third-seeded Iowa Wesleyan College
(13-15, 9-7 MCC) hosts sixth-seeded St. Ambrose University (12-18,
7-9 MCC) and fourth-seeded Grand View College (12-17, 8-8 MCC)
hosts fifth-seeded Ashford University (16-12, 8-8 MCC) in other
quarterfinal action.
The higher
seed hosts each game as the tournament continues with semifinals
on Friday and the title game on Sunday, March 2. The NAIA Division
II Men's Basketball Championships will be Wednesday-Tuesday, March
12-18, at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo.
