[Men's Basketball] Buzzer-beater lifts Tigers over Mustangs

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa -- After Mount Mercy junior forward Alex Coleman tied the game with a pair of free throws with 16 seconds to go, Iowa Wesleyan's Donnie Osborne hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Mustangs, 75-72, in a Midwest Collegiate Conference men's basketball game at Ruble Arena on Wednesday.

Mount Mercy (17-11, 8-9 MCC) trailed the whole way until Coleman's trey with 3:36 left in the game put the Mustangs in front, 67-66. Iowa Wesleyan (12-12, 7-10 MCC) quickly regained the lead on back-to-back buckets by Kyle Warner and it was 70-67 with 1:28 remaining.

Junior guard Sid Beck's jumper brought Mount Mercy within one with just under a minute to play and a free throw by Coleman knotted the score at 70-70 with 37 ticks on the clock. Bruce Brooks put the Tigers back in front with two foul shots seven seconds later. Then, after Coleman's clutch free throws with 16 seconds to go, Osborne's heroics saved the Tigers.

Junior forward Chad Underwood led a balanced Mustang attack with 14 points. Senior guard David Campbell joined him in double digits with 11 points. Junior guard Markus Cocroft chipped in nine points, junior forward Troy Peter and senior forward Sam Kenyi seven points apiece. Coleman grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, Beck dished out six assists.

Four Tigers hit double figures, led by Brooks' 18 points. Warner and Jeremy Simmons had 14 each and Osborne finished with 10. Warner and Simmons both snared seven rebounds and Osborne had seven assists.

Mount Mercy's regular season finale against Viterbo (Wis.) (11-18, 6-11 MCC) is coming up Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at R.W. Beggs Gymnasium in La Crosse, Wis.