Late turnovers prove costly in Mustang road loss

LAMONI, Iowa - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team and Graceland came down to the final minute in a Heart of America Athletic Conference tilt Wednesday night at the Modern Center. The Mustangs came up just short, 59-54, for their fifth loss of five points or less this season. 

The Mustangs trailed by as many as seven in the first half, but Cole Hrubes' 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining leveled the game at 27 going into halftime. Mount Mercy created their biggest lead, 34-29, on an Anthony Horton, Jr. layup at the 17:09 mark in the second half. Three minutes later, Graceland (14-9, 9-8 Heart) retook the lead for good. A Ryan Bartley layup brought Mount Mercy within one, 55-54, with a minute and a half to play. The Mustangs had a couple of opportunities after getting a steal, but consecutive possessions with turnovers gave way to the Yellowjackets. 

In a low scoring affair, Mount Mercy's 12 turnovers compared to Graceland's six proved to be the difference as the Yellowjackets capitalized off those turnovers, scoring 16 points. Bartley paced all players with 18 points. Horton, Jr. finished with 10. Jakari Bradley had game-highs in rebounds (12) and assists (six), while also scoring nine points in 39 minutes of action. Seth Compas scored 14 for Graceland and Sam'i Roe added 12. 

Mount Mercy (5-17, 2-15 Heart) looks to avenge an earlier season conference loss to Benedictine (Kan.) (11-12, 9-8 Heart) this weekend. The two teams face off on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2:00 pm in Atchison.