Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Oglesby gets early start in coaching

Josh Oglesby has tweaked his basketball dream.

Instead of playing pro basketball for a living, he'd like to coach the game he loves at the highest level in college.

He's gotten off to an early start.

Oglesby, 23, is currently working as a volunteer assistant coach with the men's basketball program at Mount Mercy University and he's also running his own basketball camps at the college in northeast Cedar Rapids.

Oglesby starred at Cedar Rapids Washington, where he was the Class 4A Player of the Year in 2011, and he was a four-year letterman for the Iowa Hawkeyes, graduating in 2015 with 126 3-pointers to rank eighth in school history.

Oglesby, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, scored 633 games during his UI career and averaged a modest five points per game. He enjoyed his four years with the Hawkeyes, even though he did not have as much individual success as he wanted.

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Mustang men fall to No. 2 Saint Francis

JOLIET, Ill. - For the second time in a month, the Mount Mercy men's basketball team gave nationally-ranked Saint Francis a good battle, falling, 99-91, here Monday night at the Sullivan Center.

The teams met in late November with the Fighting Saints pulling out a 94-92 win in Cedar Rapids.

Ben Struss led a balanced attack for the Mustangs on Monday, finishing with 20 points. Chris Ford added 13 points and 10 assists. Alex Houston also finished with 13 points for Mount Mercy (9-4).

St. Francis (11-1), ranked No. 2 in NAIA Dibision II, led 41-34 at halftime and maintained the margin in the second half, Ilya Ilyayev had 26 points and 13 rebounds while Edvinas Presniakovas added 24 for the Fighting Saints.

MOUNT MERCY (91): Ben Struss 7-11 2-2 20; Chris Ford 4-7 4-6 13; Alex Houston 4-10 5-6 13; Kyle Lamaak 4-6 1-2 9; Tre Wagner 1-5 6-9 8; Derik Gogg 3-6 0-0 6; Sheawn Bedford, Jr. 2-5 0-0 6; Antwain Strong 2-2 0-0 5; Mychael Brawner 1-4 1-2 4; CJ Parker 1-4 2-3 4; Blake Murdock 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 30-64 21-30 91.

SAINT FRANCIS (99): Ilya Ilyayev 10-17 6-8 26; Edvinas Presniakovas 4-10 13-14 24; Iain Morison 3-4 5-7 12; Landus Anderson 3-9 4-4 10; Jo Ballestero 3-8 0-0 9; Jean Pietrzak 4-4 0-0 9; Jake Raspopovich 1-3 4-4 6; Breshion Tucker 0-3 3-6 3; Jens Kennedy 0-0 0-0 0; Logan Timmons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-58 35-43 99.

Halftime: St. Francis 41, Mount Mercy 34. 3-point goals: Mount Mercy 10-22 ( Struss 4-7; Bedford, Jr. 2-4; Brawner 1-3; Strong 1-1; Murdock 1-3; Ford 1-2; Parker 0-1; Wagner 0-1), Saint Francis 8-24 (Ballestero, 3-8; Presniakovas 3-6; Morison, 1-1; Pietrzak 1-1; Anderson 0-4; Ilyayev 0-4). Fouled out: Wagner, Raspopovich. Rebounds: Mount Mercy 9 (Parker 5; Wagner 5), Saint Francis 44 (Ilyayev 13). Assists: Mount Mercy 21 (Ford 10), Saint Francis 15 (Raspopovich 6). Total fouls: Mount Mercy 29, Saint Francis, IL 24. Technical fouls: Struss. A-285

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Mount Mercy trimmed by Alcorn State

The Mount Mercy women's basketball team gave Alcorn State a tough game Saturday before falling short, 60-56, at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Alcorn State is an NCAA Division I program, but the Mustangs from the NAIA battled them to the wire.

Alisa Weiland hit a 3-pointer to pull Mount Mercy within 58-56 with 33 seconds left in the game. Weiland missed a layup with eight seconds leftnthat would have tied the contest and Alcorn State made two free throws with seven seconds to go for a four-point lead to clinch the victory.

Abby Herb scored 15 points for Mount Mercy (5-9). Weiland finished with 10npoints. Makenzie Zeitler contributed nine points and 10 rebounds. Latasha Harmon had seven points and eight rebounds.

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Houston powers Mustangs by Dakota State

MADISON, S.D. - Alex Houston poured in 27 points Saturday as Mount Mercy trimmed Dakota State, 90-82, in an NAIA men's basketball game at the DSU Fieldhouse in South Dakota.

Houston made 12 of 17 shots from the field and scored his 27 points in 28 minutes.

Chris Ford scored 13 points and Tre Wagner netted 10 points as the Mustangs raised their record to 9-3.

Kyle Kilgore had 22 points for Dakota State (6-7).

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