Chris Ford led a balanced attack with 12 points Saturday as the 22nd-ranked Mount Mercy men's basketball team trimmed Viterbo, 79-74, in an NAIA game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Ford led five Mustangs into double figures. Alex Houston scored 11 points and Tre Wagner, Mychael Brawner-Henley and Ben Struss all scored 10 points apiece for the winners.

Ford broke a 69-69 tie with a 3-pointer with 68 seconds left to give Mount Mercy (17-5) a 72-69 lead. The Mustangs were clinging to a 75-74 lead when Struss went to work in the final seconds. His layup gave Mount Mercy a 77-74 edge with 22 seconds remaining, then Viterbo missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 14 seconds to go.

Struss hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to make it 79-74 and secure the victory as Mount Mercy won its seventh game in a row.

The Mustangs got a big lift from their subs with a 39-6 advantage in bench points.

Jake Bamke scored 25 points for Viterbo (7-13) and Ethan Haberman had 24. Viterbo trailed by 20 points at halftime, but the visitors staged a strong comeback in the second half.

VITERBO (74): Fleischmann 3 0-0 8, Drummond 1 1-2 3, Bamke 7 9-12 25, Engelstad 4 0-0 8, Haberman 10 0-0 24, Gossman 1 0-0 3, Poehls 1 0-0 3, Anderson 0 0-0 0 Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 10-14 74.

MOUNT MERCY (79): Houston 4 3-3 11, Wagner 4 2-2 10, Ford 4 3-3 12, Parker 1 2-3 5, Bedford 1 0-0 2, Strong 1 0-0 3, Murdock 2 0-0 6, Brawner-Henley 3 3-4 10, Lamaak 3 1-3 7, Struss 3 4-4 10, Gogg 1 1-4 3. Totals 27 19-26 79.

Halftime - Mount Mercy 44, Viterbo 24. 3-point goals - Viterbo 10 (Haberman 4, Fleischmann 2, Bamke 2, Gossman 1, Poehls 1), Mount Mercy 6 (Murdock 2, Ford 1, Parker 1, Strong 1, Brawner-Henley 1).