[Men's Basketball] Win over Tigers puts MCC title on the line this weekend

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy needed a win to keep its conference title hopes alive, and the Mustangs came through on Wednesday night, holding off 12th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan, 91-86, in a Midwest Collegiate Conference men's basketball thriller at Hennessey Recreation Center.

The victory moved Mount Mercy (18-9, 11-4 MCC) within a game of league-leading Iowa Wesleyan (20-4, 12-3 MCC) with only one regular season contest remaining. The Mustangs host Viterbo (Wis.) (6-23, 4-11 MCC) on Seniors Day on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center. The Tigers go to St. Ambrose (21-7, 10-5 MCC).

Iowa Wesleyan can win the title outright with a victory over the Bees. A Mustang win and Tiger loss would give each a share of the regular season title, but Mount Mercy would earn the top seed in the MCC Tournament by virtue of a tiebreaker with Iowa Wesleyan. It would be Mount Mercy's first league championship since 1996.

Like the women's game before it, the men's contest featured several ties and a dozen lead changes. The Tigers held a 44-43 advantage at intermission, but the Mustangs opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 51-44 lead with 18:30 remaining. Iowa Wesleyan used an eight point spurt of its own and led, 57-56, about five minutes later.

Jeremy Simmons put the Tigers back in front for the last time, 70-69, with just over six minutes to play before the turning point of the game. An intentional foul and technical foul on Iowa Wesleyan's Jeff Harper resulted in three David Campbell free throws that capped a 14-2 run by the Mustangs that gave them an 83-72 lead with 3:35 to go.

The Tigers fought back, however, and it was a one-possession game after Nate Fuqua's bucket brought Iowa Wesleyan within 89-86 with 45 seconds on the clock. The Tigers took too long to foul, and once they did, junior guard LeTerrious Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left for the final margin.

A balanced offense had six Mustangs in double figures, led by sophomore forward Chad Underwood's 16 points. Senior guard Jimmy Scroggins had 14 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Josh Watznauer added 12 points and seven boards, while Thomas finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Senior forwards Marty Tope and Max Stambaugh chipped in 10 points each, and senior guard Jerome Campbell dished out a career-high 11 assists.

Harper's double-double included 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers. Fuqua had 18 points, nine boards, and five steals. Shakka Eke tallied 15 points and Simmons ended the night with 14.