11 Threes Lead Cougars to Victory Over No. 23 Rio Grande

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's basketball team (9-5) played a non-league contest at home against the No. 23 ranked University of Rio Grande Red Storm (10-3) on Monday, December 30, and came away with an 85-81 upset win in Ariel Arena. 

The contest opened with MVNU taking an early lead, thanks to threes by Bailey Conrad, Peyton Heiss, and Trent Koning. With 12 minutes remaining in the first half, the Red Storm began to mount a comeback, narrowing the score to 16-17. MVNU picked up the pressure on defense, forcing turnovers while also controlling the boards on both ends. Koning stayed hot, draining two more threes, bringing his total to 14 points on 5-7 shooting from the floor and 3-3 shooting from deep in the first half. At the end of the first half, the Cougars maintained a lead over Rio Grande by a score of 47-33. 

At the start of the second half, the Cougars continued to stretch their lead, reaching their biggest margin of the game at 62-43 with 14 minutes remaining. Rio Grande didn't back down and closed in on the Cougar lead, prompting MVNU to take a timeout after a three cut the hosts lead to 68-62 with 7:16 left. The Cougars responded to the run, and as the game entered its final minutes, executed down the stretch and protected its home court to secure the 85-81 victory over No.23 Rio. 

Inside the Box Score 

MVNU shot 54.4% and made 11 threes with a blistering 55% clip. 

MVNU outscored Rio Grande in the paint 34-26.  

MVNU attacked the glass, grabbing 33 rebounds compared to 28 for Rio. The Cougars brought the energy, hustling for 13 offensive rebounds. 

Koning - 28 points (10-18 FG, 5-10 3PT, 3-5 FT) 3 rebounds. 

Conrad - 19 points (8-13 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-3 FT) 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block. 

Milton Gage - 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-3 3PT) 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals.  

Heiss - 10 points (2-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-6 FT) 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block. 

Coach Ronai's Thoughts 

"Our guys are growing. Our young group took a step on both ends of the floor today. Thought we really did a good job of winning the box on both ends of the floor. Rio is an outstanding team and we responded well to their run in the second half. Looking forward to 2025 and continued growth.  

What's Next 

MVNU resumes league play in Ariel Arena on Saturday, January 4 against the Bethel University Pilots. Tip-off will be at 3:00p.m. 

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,100 students from 33 states and 26 foreign countries.