MVNU (24-9) nearly did not get into the eight-team tournament when the Lady Cougars dropped a heart-breaking 71-69 decision to Nyack (N.Y.) College on a three-pointer at the buzzer on Saturday night in the NCCAA East Region championship game. However, the team was given a second chance by receiving an at-large berth late Saturday night based on being ranked so highly in the Burbridge rankings used by the NCCAA.

Ironically, in the team’s last appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament in 2001, MVNU also fell on a three-pointer at the buzzer to Nyack in the NCCAA East Region championship game only to advance on an at-large as the No. 8 seed. The Lady Cougars then went on to win three straight games and capture the program’s second NCCAA national title including a win over NCAA Division I Gardner Webb (N.C.) University, the tournament host.

MVNU, which has already set a new school record for wins in a season, is averaging 73.5 points per game. The Lady Cougars, who earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, have nailed 234 three-pointers as a team and is shooting 69.6 percent from the free throw line. The team has had winning streaks of eight and 10 games this year and advanced all the way to the American Mideast Conference Tournament for the first time in school history before falling on a layup at the end of the game.

"I know that our kids are very excited for the opportunity to play for a national championship in such a wonderful venue that Grace offers with their new athletic center,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "A national tournament for kids sometimes is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I know that is the case for this group of seniors and I am excited for them to have this chance. We cannot go into this tournament just being satisfied that we made it - we need to be hungry to win it all.”

Sophomore post Amanda Himes leads MVNU in scoring (19.6 points per game), rebounding (10.9 rebounds per game), and blocked shots (28) despite missing eight games. She needs just seven points to become the first sophomore in the program’s history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Senior guard Rachel Fiely adds 13. 5 points per game and has set school records with 225 assists and 106 steals, while freshman forward Alexis Harkins has made a strong college debut by averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. Sophomore guard Lauren Johnson (7.3 ppg), senior center Melissa Mastrodonato (6.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg), and sophomore forward Kellie Jokela (5.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg) are also key contributors for the Lady Cougars.

"We have an experienced group of seniors who have a lot of postseason games under their belts,” said Gregory. "By that, I mean they have played in big games and are now used to the atmosphere that the postseason brings. I look forward to the opportunity of competing nationally once again and would love nothing more than to bring another national championship banner back to MVNU.”

The Lady Cougars’ first-round opponent on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. will be No. 7 seed Oakland City (Ind.) University. The Lady Oaks (17-12) earned their berth in the national tournament with an 86-64 win over Bluefield College in the NCCAA Mid East Region championship. Oakland City is averaging 72.4 points and has made 140 treys on the year. As a team, the Lady Oaks shoot 74.3 percent from the free throw line.

Karissa Walter leads Oakland City in scoring (17.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.4 rebounds per game) and has been to the free throw line an incredible 243 times and converted 75.7 of her attempts (184). Kristi McVey adds 14.1 points and 5.7 rebonds, while Chelsea Miller chips in with 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. Miller is also the team’s top three-point threat as she has nailed 64 treys.

The winner of the game between MVNU and Oakland City will face the winner of No. 3 seed Nyack and No. 6 Mid-America Christian University at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The other first round games will feature No. 1 seed Emmanuel (Ga.) University versus No. 8 seed Grace and No. 4 seed Trinity International (Ill.) University taking on No. 5 Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) University.

Thursday’s game can be heard live on WNZR 90.9 FM and online at http://wnzr.fm/sports.html with Josh Wood handling the play-by-play duties.