Mustang men win home debut

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy shot 66 percent from the floor in the second half, and sophomore forward Chad Underwood poured in 17 of his 21 points after the break as the Mustangs defeated Trinity Christian (Ill.), 99-78, in game two of the Bosch Financial Shootout on Friday at Hennessey Recreation Center.

A hot start put Mount Mercy in front, 13-3, just three minutes into the contest. Trinity Christian turned things around, scoring 12 of the next 13 points to take their first lead, 15-14, with 12:06 to go in the first half. The Trolls led by as many as five in the period, but the Mustangs regained the lead, 38-36, by halftime.

After Trinity Christian opened the second period with a 3-pointer, it was all Mustangs from there. A thunderous dunk by senior forward Josh Watznauer and a layup by sophomore guard Jordan Ask capped off a 15-0 run that put Mount Mercy in front, 53-39, with 15:15 remaining. The Trolls couldn't get closer than 11 from that point as the Mustangs rolled in their home debut.

Senior guard James Henderson had a game-high 26 points and eight assists for the Mustangs (2-0). Underwood grabbed eight rebounds to go with his 21 points. They were joined in double figures by junior guard LeTerrious Thomas and senior forward Max Stambaugh. Thomas scored 15 points and hauled down a game-high nine boards, while Stambaugh finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Trinity Christian (1-1) had five players in double digits, led by Jamie King's 21 points. Michael Taylor and Brendan Vize had 13 points apiece, Matt Buren and Josh Flikkema 11 points each. Flikkema snared nine rebounds, Joel Kamp seven.

Trinity Christian takes on Iowa Wesleyan in game three of the tournament on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Iowa Wesleyan (1-0) knocked off Central Methodist (Mo.) (1-1) in Friday's opener, 84-64. Mount Mercy and Central Methodist wrap up the tournament at 4:00 p.m. at Hennessey.