The visiting Lady Trojans (0-4) took an early 9-6 lead over the first four and a half minutes of the game, but a three-point play by freshman guard Lauren Johnson and a basket each by senior forward Amy Sebastian (left) and junior guard Jessica Lynn fueled a 7-0 run that gave the Lady Cougars (1-0) the lead for good 13-9.

That was the beginning of a 37-15 run by MVNU to close the half as the Lady Cougars took a comfortable 43-24 cushion to the locker room at the break. Freshman forward Kellie Jokela led MVNU with nine first-half points, while Sebastian, Johnson, and freshman center Amanda Himes each contributed seven points.

An 11-0 run by the Lady Cougars to start the second half extend MVNU’s advantage to 54-24 just over three minutes into the final period. Junior post Melissa Mastrodonato led the surge with six points, while Sebastian nailed a three-pointer and Jokela added a basket.

From that point on, the closest that Trinity International would get was 65-48 with nine minutes remaining in the contest. A 5-1 run by the Lady Cougars pushed the lead back to 70-49, and MVNU held at least a 20-point lead the rest of the game in posting the 89-63 victory.

“I was very pleased to come out and get a nice victory in front of a large and vocal crowd,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “Our kids were excited about getting back out on the floor and getting to see a different opponent besides ourselves.”

“Our young kids really played well for their first college experience,” Gregory added of Jokela, Himes, Pollock, and Johnson. “The calm and steady influence of our upperclassmen was the big key for us, though, as Rachel delivered key passes to set people up for scoring opportunities. Amy was cool and collective on each possession and Jessica was very good defensively. Melissa struggled with not getting many touches in the first half and finally found some rhythm in the second half as she made some key early baskets and free throws. Bethany (Hughes) also gave us quality minutes and experience on the floor when we found ourselves in a lot of foul trouble. It was a good start to the season.”

Himes posted a double-double in her Lady Cougar debut as she registered 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Jokela also had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Sebastian just missed one with 12 points and nine rebounds. Johnson, junior guard Rachel Fiely (right), and freshman guard Kelli Pollock all finished with seven points apiece with Fiely and Sebastian both dishing out four assists. MVNU shot 40.8 percent from the field (29-for-71), 27.8 percent from three-point range (5-for-18), and 72.2 percent at the free throw line (26-for-36). The Lady Cougars also posted a 50-33 rebounding advantage and force the Lady Trojans into 29 turnovers.

Rachel Edelen led Trinity International with 15 points, while Reanna Perera tossed in 13 points with seven rebounds off the bench. Krystle Reed and Robin Cotton also both reached double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively. The Lady Trojans shot 45.5 percent from the field (25-for-55), 33.3 percent from three-point range (7-for-21), and 46.2 percent at the free throw line (6-for-13).

MVNU will return to action at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night when the Lady Cougars will host Ohio State University-Marion in another non-conference game.