The Basics
Score: Mount Mercy 85, Evangel 81
Records: Evangel (8-10, 7-6), Mount Mercy (5-5, 3-3)
Location: Hennessey Recreation Center

Box Score

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After building a 24-point lead early in the second half, Mount Mercy held off a late charge by Evangel to pull out an 85-81 win over the Crusaders Saturday morning in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Evangel outscored MMU 33-14 over the game's final 13 minutes to nearly climb all of the way out of a 63-39 hole, spurred by an offense that caught fire to connect on 57.6 percent (19-of-33) of its field-goal attempts in the second half. But the Mustangs came up with a pair of defensive stops in the final minute, and Keishun Thomas sank two free throws with three seconds left to seal the outcome.

Dennis McKinney posted a double-double, scoring a game-high 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead four Mustangs in double figures. MMU shot 0.500 (31-of-62) for the game and knocked down 11 three-pointers to establish its sizable lead.

Edriel Martinborough finished with a season-high 22 points to pace the Crusaders, while Cade Coffman added 20 points and 11 boards for his fourth double-double of the season.

MMU overcame a double-digit deficit of its own, converting seven tries from beyond the three-point arc to build a 48-35 halftime lead. After the Crusaders scored 20 of the game's first 30 points to take what appeared to be a commanding lead, the Mustangs responded with a 38-15 scoring run to close the opening half and carry the 13-point advantage into the locker room.

MMU expanded its lead to open the second half, using an 11-0 run to establish its largest lead of the game. Bailey Basala's back-to-back triples capped the outburst and handed the Mustangs a 63-39 cushion with 16:07 to play.

A Josh Pritchett bucket at the 15:53 mark started the Evangel comeback, but the Mustangs were able to maintain their 20-point bulge until Kendall Sutton's basket with just over 10 minutes left on the clock cut the margin to 73-54. EU would use an 11-0 run highlighted by three-pointers by Martinborough and Pritchett to close the gap to just seven points with 4:21 to play, before pulling even closer on Chris Stocks' bucket with 3:05 left in the contest.

McKinney's trey at the 2:06 mark gave the Mustangs an eight-point lead and some much-needed breathing room. But a Sutton jumper and back-to-back field goals by Pritchett pulled the Crusaders to within 83-81 with 41 seconds to go.

Coffman, who went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, attempted to put EU in front with long trey from the left wing, but was off his mark. The Crusaders forced a turnover on a 10-second count to get the ball back, however Martinborough was whistled for traveling with four seconds to play after encountering heavy traffic in the lane.

After a Crusader foul stopped the clock, Thomas converted both free throw attempts to put the victory on ice.

Pritchett added 13 points for the Crusaders, while Stocks chipped in with nine points and six assists.

Basala complimented McKinney's performance with 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from three-point range for MMU.

UP NEXT
The Crusaders return to the Ashcroft Center Monday (Jan. 27) evening for a 7:30 p.m., Heart contest against Baker.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EUAthletics), or visit EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the new Evangel Crusaders GamedayApp through Google Play. 

—EvangelAthletics.com—