[Men's Basketball] Gavin gets 300th victory with win over Ashford

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy is quickly becoming a second-half team, and that is paying dividends for the Mustangs, who dropped Ashford, 77-58, on Saturday at Hennessey Recreation Center to give Head Men's Basketball Coach Paul Gavin his 300th victory.

Gavin, who already has more wins than any other coach in school history, improved to 300-286 in his 19th season at his alma mater. A basketball and golf standout during his collegiate career at Mount Mercy, Gavin was the first coach to reach the 200-win mark. He has coached nine NAIA all-Americans and is a four-time MCC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year (1994, 1996, 1997, 2010).

Mount Mercy trailed by three at halftime at Waldorf on Thursday night before outscoring the Warriors, 53-22, over the final 20 minutes for an 83-55 win in Forest City. Today, the Mustangs led the Saints by only a basket, 35-33, at intermission until a 42-25 second-half performance helped them to their third straight victory and kept them within a game-and-a-half of league-leading Iowa Wesleyan.

Sophomore forward Chad Underwood had another outstanding game for the Mustangs, shooting 10-of-12 from the floor during a 22-point afternoon. He also had eight rebounds, with six of those coming at the offensive end and most of them leading directly to second-chance points.

Senior forward Max Stambaugh added 12 points, while senior forward Josh Watznauer and senior guard Jimmy Scroggins had 11 points each. Watznauer also finished with nine rebounds, four blocked shots, and three steals. Junior guard LeTerrious Thomas handed out a team-high three assists.

Lamar Wall had 15 points and Peter Tanzillo 13 points and eight rebounds for the Saints (17-9, 8-4 MCC), who beat Mount Mercy, 62-56, last month in Clinton. Mike Relerford chipped in eight points and a game-high six assists.

Mount Mercy's next two opponents are also in the thick of the conference race. The Mustangs (17-8, 10-3 MCC) travel to Davenport to face St. Ambrose (18-7, 7-5 MCC) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Lee Lohman Arena. After that, Mount Mercy hosts league-leading and 14th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan (19-2, 11-1 MCC) on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center.