Men’s Basketball Powers Past St. Ambrose

DAVENPORT, Iowa. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team (11-1) defeated St. Ambrose (6-6) by a score of 89-77 for its seventh victory in a row on Monday, December 18.

Holding just a 51-49 lead with 13:05 left in the game, MVNU powered past St. Ambrose, outscoring the hosts 38-28 the rest of the way in the 89-77 victory.

Inside the Box Score:

MVNU shot 50% from the field and drained 13 threes at a 36.1% clip. St. Ambrose shot 49.3% in the game. MVNU did an excellent job defending the three, holding St. Ambrose to just 5-25 (20%) from deep.

MVNU had 16 assists to just 13 turnovers. The Cougar defense forced 15 turnovers in the game.

Kade Ruegsegger – 16 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist.

Trent Koning – 15 points (5-7 FG, 3-4 3PT), 2 assists, 1 steal.

Milton Gage – 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal.

Carter Jones – 11 points (3-6 FG, 5-6 FT), 4 rebounds.

Grant Burkholder – 11 points (4-8 FG, 3-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal.

Coach Ronai's Thoughts:

"We put together a good 20 minutes in the second half and I thought the pace was to our advantage. Still many areas to grow in.

What a trip. Grateful for the opportunity to hit the road and see a lot of the Midwest these past five days and find a lot of growth off the floor."

What's Next:

MVNU returns to Ariel Arena on December 30 for a game against Shawnee State University at 1:00pm.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, 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 2,000 students from 25 states and 11 foreign countries.