Men’s Basketball falls to #17 Mount Union
By Wes Mayberry
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's basketball team gave 17th-ranked Mount Union all it could handle late Saturday afternoon, but the Purple Raiders put together a late second-half run for a 72-56 victory at the ONU Sports Center.
The Polar Bears (5-3 overall, 1-2 OAC) got a team-high 15 points from senior Brandon Waugh (Columbus/Northland), who was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and added five rebounds and three assists.
Junior C.J. Napier (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) added 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while junior Michael Berner (Springboro) chipped in 10 points and four rebounds.
Junior Adam Scott (Wapakoneta) finished with nine points for ONU.
The Purple Raiders (7-1 overall, 2-1 OAC) got a double-double from Christian Parker, who finished with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Ethan Stanislawski added 19 points and seven assists, while Chris Painter chipped in 12 points for UMU.
The teams played to an 11-all tie five minutes into the game before Mount Union used a 7-0 run to create some separation.
A 3-pointer from Julian Berry put the Purple Raiders up by 10, 29-19, with 4:59 left in the first half.
A Berner dunk got the Polar Bears back within eight, 29-21, but they were unable to draw any closer for the remainder of the half as UMU went into intermission with a 33-25 edge led by 14 points from Stanislawski.
The Polar Bears continued to battle back in the second half.
A 3-pointer from junior Landen Long (Mason) followed by a pair of free throws from Waugh brought ONU within five, and a Berner jumper made it a four-point game, 41-37, with 15:49 remaining.
The Polar Bears eventually cut the deficit to two, 51-49, on a layup from freshman Ethan Bell (Marion/River Valley) with 10:38 left, but the Raiders never surrendered the lead.
The visitors responded with a 15-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Stanislawski and a layup from Parker for a 66-51 lead before Waugh hit a triple to stem the tide with 3:02 left in the eventual 16-point win for Mount Union.
Ohio Northern made 21-of-57 field goals for 36.8% and was 6-of-17 from 3-point range for 35.3%, while the Purple Raiders made 30-of-58 field goals for 51.7% and were 6-of-15 from beyond the arc for 40%.
The Polar Bears were 8-of-15 from the foul line for 53.3% while Mount Union was 6-of-10 for 60%.
ONU out-rebounded UMU by a 36-32 margin.
ONU returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 18, for a 4 p.m. game at Ohio Athletic Conference foe Capital as part of a women's-men's doubleheader.
