Mustangs Nearly Lead Wire-to-Wire in Home Finale Victory Over Clarke

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team nearly led wire-to-wire on Wednesday night, taking the home finale over Clarke, 87-72.

The Mustangs (4-23, 3-20 Heart) were led on offense by Jaxson Fried, leading all scorers with 23 points on 8-15 shooting. Fried would also have a monster game on the boards, pulling down 15 rebounds, with four of them coming on the offensive end. Rusmir Hamzic would join Fried with at least 20 points, scoring an even 20 to go along with six assists. Aidan Yamilkoski would round out the scorers in double figures, adding 13 points on three made threes.

The Pride (6-21, 6-17 Heart) were led by Daquon Lewis, scoring a team high 18 points on 7-17 shooting. Max Bowman would not finish far behind, scoring 17 points. They would be joined in double figures by Carson Lindauer, who added 10 points.

Clarke got the first bucket of the game on a Lewis jumper. Cameron Williams would strike for three, giving the Mustangs an early lead, and the team would not look back, holding the lead for the remainder of the game. The game would be back-and-forth for the remainder of the first half, as Clarke was able to cut seven point deficit down to four heading into the half. The Mustangs were able to stretch the lead to as many as 18 after Elijah Ward hit a layup with just under six minutes remaining.

The Mustangs were able to hold Clarke to 7-25 from three while outrebounding the Pride by 22, holding a 53-31 lead on the boards. The Mustangs bench would also outscore Clarke's, 32-19.

The Mustangs will close out the season on the road, taking on Central Methodist in Fayette on Saturday.