Men's Basketball Falls to Mayville

MAYVILLE, ND – The Viterbo University Men's Basketball team lost a North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) bout at Mayville State (ND) on Friday night, 67-78. The V-Hawks drop to 14-11 (8-4 NSAA), while the Comets improve to 20-5 (10-2 NSAA).

Ben Olson would score the first basket of the game, a minute and a half into the game. Trent Blackshire fueled a run for the Comets to go up 4-11, and despite a Cole Crubel three, the lead would quickly balloon up to 9-23 at 11:04. Keegan Severn recorded a steal and a tip-in as part of a 6-0 V-Hawk run, and Luke Spink's three brought it down to a six point game, 20-26 at 8:09. Jack Monis scored or assisted on seven straight V-Hawk points, and Dakota Mannel's steal led to an Olson and-one, but Thomas Gieske's tip-in dunk left the score at 30-39 going into halftime.

Olson started the second on a Mannel-assisted three. Robert Cuntiz would hit one of his own at 15:33,  and Monis found Cunitz for an and-one. Monis scored consecutive baskets to make it a seven-point game, but the Comets would respond again, Jaques Safra scoring multiple times to give them a 49-67 lead. Crubel found Cunitz for a three with under five minutes, but Mayville would pace the V-Hawks, and Viterbo would not get closer than nine points late. MSU would claim the 67-78 win.

Mayville outshot Viterbo 37%-56%, but each team shot about 27% from three. The Comets also won the rebounding battle 28-41.

Olson led the V-Hawks with 16 points and six rebounds, Monies had 15 points, and Mannel had seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

Blackshire had a game-high 18 points off the bench, and Gieske had a 10-points, 10-rebounds double-double.

The V-Hawks return to action on Saturday, February 11, at Presentation College (SD).