Fried's 22 Not Enough as Mustangs Fall to Pioneers

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Jaxson Fried led all scorers on Saturday with 22 points as the Mustangs would fall to MidAmerica Nazarene, 68-66, at home.

Once trailing by 19 in the first half, the Pioneers would push the game down to just two possessions after holding the Mustangs scoreless for the final five and a half minutes of the opening frame. The Mustangs would lead by six heading into the half behind 13 first half points from Fried, while Aidan Yamilkoski added an additional 10 points. The Mustangs would shoot the ball well in the opening half, as the team would fire off a shooting clip of 42% while only missing a pair of free throws.

Following a back-and-forth start to the second half, the Mustangs would again break through and lead by double digits with 10 minutes remaining, stretching the lead to as many as 13 in the second half. After some timely Pioneer buckets down the stretch, Elijah Ward hit a three in the corner to give the Mustangs the lead back with just over 30 seconds to play. Following a layup to give MNU the lead back, the Mustangs couldn't get off another shot as the Pioneers were able to seal the win.

Fried and Yamilkoski would be the only two Mustangs in double figures, with 22 and 14, respectively. Miles Dear poured in a season high eight points, while Ward contributed seven. Yamilkoski and Ward would each lead the team in steals with three a piece, as Yamilkoski would also lead in assists with four.

For the Pioneers, they were led by Gary Clay who scored 12, while Brooks Langrehr and Malachi Bryant each scored in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Shane Stevensen would lead the team in rebounds with six, while there was a three way tie between Malachi Bryant, Isaiah Cull, and Brantyn VanDyke who would each add in a pair of assists.

The Mustangs will be back in action at home to round out Thanksgiving Week with a matchup against Grand View on Tuesday night.