Brenton Bell's 29 points led the Pioneers in a 76-74 victory over William Jewell on Saturday. MNU found themselves trailing 13-0 after 4 minutes of play. But the Pioneers righted the ship and went on a 18-6 run to get within 1. Jewell led by 6 at halftime and continued to hold off MNU, taking an 8-point lead with 10 minutes remaining. That was when
Brenton Bell took control of the game. The senior guard scored 11 of the Pioneers' next 13 points as MNU took a 3-point lead. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way until Jewell scored with 30 seconds left to tie the game.
Rustin Dowd drove to the hoop with 5 seconds remaining and found
Ben Swinger on the block. Swinger pump-faked and put in a tough layup with less than a second on the clock. Jewell's desperation pass went begging, and the Pioneers won the big HAAC matchup. MNU is currently tied with MO Valley for 4th in the conference, just a half game behind Jewell.
Bell had 29 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Lukas Weigel came off the bench to score 13 points.
Rustin Dowd had 11 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. And
Ben Swinger had 6 points and 8 rebounds.
MNU is 14-9 (8-5 HAAC). The next game is Thursday at home vs. Graceland (11-12, 5-8) at 7:30.
