[Men's Basketball] Hard-fought win clinches second seed for Mustangs

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- At the end of the day, Mount Mercy hoped to have a share of the conference title. That didn't pan out, but the Mustangs won for the fifth time in six games, edging Viterbo (Wis.), 70-67, at Hennessey Recreation Center on Saturday to clinch the second seed in next week's Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament.

The Mustangs needed a win over the V-Hawks and an Iowa Wesleyan loss at St. Ambrose to earn a share of the MCC regular season title. For a while, it didn't look like Mount Mercy would get either one. While the Mustangs struggled against Viterbo, the Tigers were dominating the Bees on the road.

Mount Mercy trailed nearly the entire first half, enjoying a brief, 26-25, lead on a Chad Underwood jumper with 3:53 to go in the period. A pair of Cole Lewis free throws put the V-Hawks back in front, 27-26, and they took a 33-28 advantage into the lockerroom at halftime.

Meanwhile in Davenport, Iowa Wesleyan opened up an 18-point lead on St. Ambrose at intermission. Both Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose would put together second-half comebacks, but only one would come away with a win.

Viterbo scored eight of the first 10 points of the second period to lead by 11, 41-30, with 17:13 to go. Underwood's 3-point play capped a 16-4 run that moved the Mustangs in front, 46-45, near the 12-minute mark. Mount Mercy couldn't grow its lead to more than six as the V-Hawks looked to spoil their title hopes.

Viterbo drew even on Chris Millner's basket with 5:27 remaining. Junior guard LeTerrious Thomas drilled a 3-pointer on Mount Mercy's next possession, putting the Mustangs in front for good with 4:50 left. The V-Hawks had a chance to tie at the end of regulation, but a 3-pointer by Alex Diciaula was off the mark and Mount Mercy escaped with the win.

Underwood finished with 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mustangs. Senior forward Max Stambaugh added 13 points and five boards, while Thomas ended the day with 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Senior forward Josh Watznauer contributed eight points and six boards.

Lewis was Viterbo's leading scorer with 16 points to go along with four assists. Matt Turba chipped in 11 points, Ryan Ambrose nine. Alex Kieller and Izac Sheforgen each had eight points and six rebounds.

Back in Davenport, St. Ambrose opened the second half with a 20-5 spurt to close the gap on Iowa Wesleyan. With the score tied, the Bees even had a chance for the win at the end of regulation, but a jumper was off the mark and St. Ambrose committed a foul on the rebound with :01.5 to go. The Tigers made 1-of-2 free throws to clinch the regular season title outright.

Mount Mercy (19-9, 12-4 MCC), one victory shy of its second straight 20-win season, hosts seventh-seeded Clarke (12-17, 5-11 MCC) in the quarterfinals of the MCC Tournament on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center. The Crusaders handed the Mustangs their last home loss, 80-64, on Jan. 27.

Top-seeded Iowa Wesleyan (21-4, 13-3 MCC) hosts eighth-seeded Viterbo (6-24, 4-12 MCC), third-seeded Ashford (20-10, 11-5 MCC) hosts sixth-seeded William Penn (14-15, 6-10 MCC), and fourth-seeded St. Ambrose (22-8, 10-6 MCC) hosts fifth-seeded Grand View (18-10, 8-8 MCC) in Wednesday's other quarterfinal action.

The higher seed hosts each game throughout the tournament. Semifinal action will take place on Friday, Feb. 25. Matchups will be Mount Mercy/Clarke against Ashford/William Penn and Iowa Wesleyan/Viterbo versus St. Ambrose/Grand View. The MCC title tilt is Sunday, Feb. 27, with the winner claiming the league's automatic berth in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship March 9-15 in Branson, Mo.