Men's basketball stuns Mount Union

The Muskingum men's basketball team stunned Mount Union in Ohio Athletic Conference action on Monday night in overtime, 83-80. The win sets up a showdown at Wilmington on Wednesday night between the Muskies and Quakers who are tied for eighth place in the league.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (6-17 overall, 3-13 OAC), Mount Union (15-8 overall, 11-5 OAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - Muskingum Recreation Center
• Opponent: Mount Union, who received votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, entered the game in third place in the OAC. 
• OAC Tournament: Muskingum and Wilmington are tied for eighth place in the league. The Muskies and Quakers play on Wednesday at Wilmington. The top eight teams at the end of the OAC regular season advance to the OAC Tournament. Muskingum beat Wilmington earlier this season in New Concord, 78-74.

Inside The Numbers

• Muskingum was led by five players scoring in double digits.
• Junior Joshua Keyes led the Muskies with 18 points and 14 rebounds. It marked Keyes' fourth double-double of the season.
• Junior Rickey Wilson and freshman Jalen Paige each added 15 points. Paige also recorded six assists.
• Junior Joshua Glass added 14 points and six rebounds.
• Junior Malik Billingsley had 11 points and five rebounds.
• Muskingum shot .387 (24-of-62) from the field.
• The Muskies connected on 26-of-34 free throws.
• The Muskies ended the outing with a 52-37 edge in rebounds and held a 21-6 edge in bench points.
• Cody Dillon led Mount Union with 24 points.
• Jarrett Ruffin had 22 points and nine rebounds.
• The Purple Raiders shot .387 (29-of-75) from the floor.

Game Notes

• Muskingum used late first-half surge to take a 44-33 lead into the break.
• In the second half, the Muskies increased their lead to 53-40 on a Paige basket with 15:45 on the clock.
• Mount Union answered the Muskie charge and used a 28-11 run over an 11-minute span to take a 68-64 lead with 4:04 to play.
• The Purple Raiders held a 73-70 lead with 20 seconds to play. Wilson hit a game-tying three-point shot with four seconds on the clock to force overtime and bring the Muskie fans screaming to their feet.
• In overtime, Muskingum overcame an early three-point gap (78-75) and outscored the Purple Raiders 8-2 to close out the final four minutes of play to seal the home OAC win.

Up Next

• Muskingum next plays at Wilmington on Wednesday, February 15. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.