Mustangs Snap Nine Game Skid; Complete Season Sweep of Benedictine

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team picked up their first win in a month and a half, snapping their nine game losing streak and completing the season sweep of Benedictine, taking Saturday's contest, 83-82.

The Mustangs (3-19, 2-16 Heart) were led on offense by Jaxson Fried, scoring 26 points off the bench on 9-14 shooting, playing all but five minutes in the game. He would be joined by Rusmir Hamzic who added in another 20 points on 8-11 shooting, as the pair would combine for 17-25 shooting from the floor. Aidan Yamilkoski would be the final Mustang reaching double figures in scoring, adding 14.

The Ravens (6-15, 5-12 Heart) saw four of their five starters score in double figures, led by Brycen LaRue with 18. Preston Reynolds and Jack Vander Woude would each add 13, while Deaglan Sullivan added 11. Every Raven that saw the floor would score at least five points, with the exception of Haggan Hilgendorf who only played six minutes.

The Mustangs would start off the game hot on offense, holding leads of five and six early on, before Benedictine clawed their way back and taking the lead by the first media timeout of the half. The Ravens would extend their lead to as much as eight in the first half, before a Fried three ball would square the game up at 30 with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Fried would then hit a three to give the Mustangs the lead at the four and a half minute mark, as the Mustangs wouldn't look back, never trailing for the remainder of the half.

Benedictine would jump out of the gates hot in the second half, tying the game on a layup just 11 seconds in, before Kaden Johnson countered with a three of his own to give the Mustangs the lead back. Hamzic would go on a tear himself, putting the team on his back by scoring six straight points for the Mustangs as MMU would extend their lead to five. The remainder of the second half was back-and-forth, with neither team able to lead by more than four. Fried would hit a layup with just under a minute left as the Mustangs would not see their lead disappear for the remainder of the game, holding on for a one point win.

The Mustangs will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Graceland in Cedar Rapids, with tipoff slated for 7:30 p.m.