ADA, Ohio – The No. 11 nationally ranked Mount Union men's basketball team beat Ohio Northern 62-59 in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.

The Purple Raiders (7-1, 2-1 OAC) had two players score in double figures, with senior Christian Parker (Canton / GlenOak) leading the way with a game-high 20 points and senior Collen Gurley (Akron / Hoban) added in 19 points to round out the Raiders in double digits.

The Polar Bears (3-5, 0-3 OAC) were led by Carter Reese who scored a team-high 18 points and Hayden Hanson who added in 14 points.

The Raiders jumped out to an early 10-4 lead just five minutes into the game. The Polar Bears would answer cutting the lead down to three before a lay in from junior Marcus Steele (Solon) sparked a 14-5 run over the next 5:51 of game time to give Mount Union a 26-14 lead with 6:15 to play in the first half. Ohio Northern would answer with an 11-0 run of their own over the final 5:23 of the first half to cut the lead down to one heading into the half time break.

The Polar Bears would open the second half on a 14-2 run to take a 39-28 lead with just over 16 minutes to play in the game. The Raiders would answer with a 13-4 run of their own over the next 5:50 of game time to cut the lead down to two with 10:12 remaining in the game. Both teams would trade baskets over the next couple minutes, until an 8-2 Mount Union run capped by a Parker three tied the game at 49 with 6:39 left to play. Ohio Northern would reclaim a three-point lead with 5:38 left to play before the Raiders would end the game on an 11-5 run over the final 5:31 of game time to escape with a 62-59 victory.

The Raiders return home next when they host Capital on Saturday, December 16 at 1 p.m. in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.