Fried's Career Game Not Enough as Mustangs Fall to Missouri Valley

MARSHALL, Mo. – The Mount Mercy men's basketball team achieved its highest scoring game of the season but fell short in a 96-82 defeat to Missouri Valley on Saturday afternoon at the Burns Athletic Complex.

The Mustangs (1-9, 0-6 Heart of America) shot an impressive 49.2% from the field, led by sophomore Jaxson Fried, who posted a career high 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting, including three three-pointers. Mount Mercy also benefited from a strong performance by Aidan Yamilkoski, who contributed 20 points and seven rebounds while shooting 4-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Missouri Valley (3-8, 2-5 Heart of America) countered with a balanced attack, highlighted by J'luan Patterson's 21 points and five made three-pointers. The Vikings connected on 52.4% of their three-point attempts, which proved critical in staving off a resilient Mustangs squad.

Mount Mercy trailed 47-39 at halftime but rallied early in the second half with a three-pointer by Yamilkoski to cut the deficit to five. However, Missouri Valley's efficient offense, which featured 23 assists on 33 made field goals, consistently kept the Mustangs at bay. Key second-half runs by the Vikings extended their lead to as many as 17 points.

Defensively, Mount Mercy forced 17 turnovers and scored 25 points off turnovers, but Missouri Valley's dominance on the boards (36-28 rebounding edge) and contributions from their bench (28 points) offset the Mustangs' defensive pressure.

This marks the highest-scoring game for Mount Mercy this season, surpassing their previous high of 75 points. Despite the offensive breakthrough, turnovers and a 29.2% shooting performance from three-point range ultimately hindered the Mustangs' ability to close the gap.

Mount Mercy will look to regroup as they continue conference play next week against Culver-Stockton, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Canton, Missouri.