The Pioneers trailed by 16 in the second half, and the comeback attempt came up just short in a 72-69 loss to Park on Friday. Park dominated the first half, leading by as many as 18 after a 13-0 run over 4 minutes. With 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Pioneers started to chip away. A 12-2 run got the deficit down to 4 with 9 minutes left, but Park pushed the lead back to 10 with 6:32 to play.
Over the next 4 minutes, free throws by
Payne Andrus,
Hudson Welty, and
Justin Randall complimented buckets by Welty and
Jonas Page for a 10-0 run and a tie game. Park answered immediately, however, and back-to-back threes put MNU in a 6-point hole with 1 minute left. MNU cut the lead to 1 with 13 seconds left, but Park hit 2 free throws and the Pioneers couldn't get a good look at a last-second 3.
Justin Randall led the offense with 17 points.
Hudson Welty added 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Ryan Garcia had 10 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals off the bench. And
Jonathan Green scored 9 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
#8 MNU is 1-1. The next game starts conference play next Saturday at Mount Mercy (0-1) at 4:00.
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