Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

No. 9 Kirkwood men claim 22nd win

The ninth-ranked Kirkwood men's basketball team cruised to a 95-62 victory over the Mount Mercy junior varsity at Johnson Hall Tuesday  night.

The Eagles raised their record to 22-4.

Da'Rion King led Kirkwood with 22 points and eight rebounds. Shakur Triplett collected a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Elijah Henry contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for the Eagles. Chris King finished with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. Carlo Marble added 11 points.

Chris Brown led Mount Mercy with 22 points.

MOUNT MERCY (62): Stoeffler 2 3-4 8, Van Oort 4 0-0 9, Mallett 1 0-0  3, Frazier 0 0-0 0, Brown 8 6-9 22, Reischauer 5 3-4 13, Ehlen 0 0-0  0, Shelman 3 0-0 7, Kehinde 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-17 62.

KIRKWOOD (95): Triplett 6 4-4 16, Harp 2 0-0 5, Meeker 2 0-0 6, C.King  6 0-0 13, D.King 9 4-5 22, Jackson 2 2-2 6, Marble 3 2-2 11, Henry 7  2-3 16. Totals 37 14-16 95.

Halftime - Kirkwood 51, Mount Mercy JV 28. 3-point goals - Mount Mercy  JV 4 (Stoeffler 1, Van Oort 1, Mallett 1, Shelman 1), Kirkwood 7  (Marble 3, Meeker 2, Harp 1, C.King 1).

Wentzien paces No. 1 Eagles by Mustangs

Miles Wentzien popped in five 3-pointers and scored 20 points Saturday night as the top-ranked Kirkwood Eagles defeated the Mount Mercy junior varsity, 104-78, at Johnson Hall.

Wentzien also collected six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Eagles (5-1).

Da'Rion King finished with a double-double for Kirkwood with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Byron Harp contributed with 12 points and nine assists.

Ethan Meeker hit all four of his 3-pointers and scored 14 points for the Eagles and Kaliph Fagan had 11 points.

Tanner Frazier made five 3-pointers and led Mount Mercy with 21 points. Adam Van Oort scored 13 points, Dimarco Mallett 12 and Brady Stauffer 10.

MOUNT MERCY (78): Stauffer 3 3-4 10, Van Oort 6 0-1 13, Mallett 2 6-6 12, Frazier 7 2-2 21, Brown 4 0-0 8, Hood 0 3-4 3, Reischauer 1 4-5 6, Eiler 1 0-0 3, Shelman 0 2-2 2, Kehoncle 0 0-1 0. Totals 24 20-25 78.

KIRKWOOD (104): Harp 4 3-3 12, Wentzien 7 1-1 20, Fagan 3 4-6 11, Marble 0 0-0 0, D.King 7 2-2 16, Triplett 1 0-0 2, Jackson 3 0-0 8, Rice 1 0-0 3, Meeker 4 2-2 14, C.King 3 0-0 8, Oliver 0 0-0 0, Henry 3 0-0 6, Foxbrennen 0 0-0 0, Moore 1 2-2 4. Totals 37 14-16 104.

Halftime - Kirkwood 51, Mount Mercy 41. 3-point goals - Mount Mercy 10 (Frazier 5, Mallett 2, Stauffer 1, Van Oort 1, Eiler 1), Kirkwood 16 (Wentzien 5, Meeker 4, Jackson 2, C.King 2, Harp 1, Fagan 1, Rice 1).

Alex Houston signs with CourtKings

Alex Houston of Mount Mercy University has signed to play pro basketball this season with the Cedar Valley CourtKings in Waterloo.

Houston, a 6-foot-5 senior, was named a third team NAIA All-American after helping the Mustangs reach the Sweet 16 of the national tournament this year. He also was named first team all-conference in the Association of Independent Institutions and was the MVP of the conference tournament.

Houston led Mount Mercy (26-8) at 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

“Alex is another great addition to our team,” said CourtKings Owner/GM Gary Rima. “He just finished up an outstanding college career at Mount Mercy and we are excited to have him in a CourtKings uniform. He is a leader and team player and brings it at both ends of the floor.”

Houston played his high school basketball in Chicago at Chicago Hope.

Houston is the fifth player from Mount Mercy on the CourtKings roster. He joins former Mustangs Rashad Carrington, Alex Coleman, LaDon Singleton and Lamar Wall.

Gage Heffernan, who began his college career at Kirkwood, also is on the roster. Coleman also played at Kirkwood.

The CourtKings will play their home opener in the Midwest Basketball League on Sunday, May 15 at 7:30 pm at the Cedar Valley SportsPlex at 300 Jefferson Street in Waterloo.

Season tickets are available online at cvcourtkings.com.

No. 14 Mustangs ousted by No. 1 Saint Francis

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team fell behind by 16 points in the first half Friday and lost to top-ranked Saint Francis of Indiana, 89-82, in the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Division II tournament.

Mount Mercy reached the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and finished the campaign at 26-8.

The Mustangs pulled within nine points in the second half, but Saint Francis surged back in front by 16 points with a little more than two minutes remaining to secure the victory. The Mustangs hit four 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds, but the seven-point final margin was as close as they got.

"We couldn't catch up," said Mount Mercy coach Aaron Jennings. "They're a good team. They came in with the No. 1 for a reason."

Saint Francis (30-4) will face Keiser (30-4) in the Elite 8 on Saturday.

Alex Houston led Mount Mercy with 22 points. Tre Wagner scored 16 points and Ben Struss had 10.

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