[Men's Basketball] Mount Mercy gets road win at Viterbo

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- After leading by a point at the break, Mount Mercy dominated the second half and routed Viterbo (Wis.), 83-62, in a Midwest Collegiate Conference men's basketball game on Saturday at R.W. Beggs Senior Gymnasium.

Mount Mercy overcame a 1-for-15 performance from 3-point range to shoot 50 percent from the floor overall. The Mustangs, who lost, 75-73, at 13th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan on Wednesday, nearly picked up two road wins this week despite shooting a combined 2-for-31 from beyond the arc.

Solid defense, good free throw shooting, and a rebounding advantage helped Mount Mercy on Saturday. The Mustangs outscored the V-Hawks, 24-10, at the foul line and finished 24-of-31 (77.4%) for the game. Mount Mercy limited Viterbo to 35 percent shooting and outrebounded the V-Hawks, 41-37.

Four players hit double figures for the Mustangs (13-7, 6-2 MCC), led by Chad Underwood's 22 points. The sophomore forward also collected six rebounds and six blocked shots. Senior guard Jimmy Scroggins had 16 points and five boards, junior forward Sam Kenyi 13 points and five rebounds, and senior forward Marty Tope 10 points and four boards.

Izac Sheforgen scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the V-Hawks (3-18, 1-6 MCC). Ryan Ambrose chipped in 10 points, Jasper Duberry nine.

Mount Mercy's stretch of four games in eight days continues on Monday when the Mustangs go to Des Moines for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with Grand View at Sisam Arena. The Mustangs, who remain a game back of Iowa Wesleyan (15-2, 7-1 MCC) in the conference race, defeated the Vikings, 78-62, in their league opener on Dec. 1 in Cedar Rapids.