The host Ladies (2-5) jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead with just over three minutes gone by as Kenyon made five of its first six shots including four three-pointers. Alisha Moreno led the way with a pair of treys, Anne Dugan tossed in five points, and Laurel Stokes also drained a three-pointer.

MVNU (9-1) used a 15-7 run to take its only lead of the first half 22-21 on a trey by junior guard Rachel Fiely (left) with 7:53 left in the half.

However, the Ladies closed the half on a 19-10 spurt to regain a 40-32 advantage going to the locker room at the break. Moreno nailed two more three-pointers, and Brittany Clair added five points.

Fiely led the Lady Cougars with nine first-half points, while junior post Melissa Mastrodonato added seven points. Freshman post Amanda Himes also contributed six points off the bench, and MVNU held a 21-17 rebounding advantage. The Lady Cougars shot 40.7 percent from the field (11-for-27), 28.6 percent from three-point range (2-for-7), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (8-for-12).

Kenyon was led by Moreno with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while Clair contributed 11 points off the bench. The Ladies shot 42.4 percent from the field (14-for-33), 53.3 percent from three-point range (8-for-15), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-for-6). Kenyon also forced 13 MVNU turnovers in the first half.

The lead grew to 46-37 for the Ladies over the first three minutes of the second half following a steal and layup by Moreno. On the play, senior forward Amy Sebastian suffered a knee injury that forced her from the game. The extent of the injury will be determined in the coming days.

Still trailing 50-42 with just over 13 minutes remaining, the Lady Cougars began to mount a comeback as MVNU went on a 16-8 run over the next four and a half minutes to knot the score at 58-58 with 8:36 to play. Himes (right) fueled the spurt with 10 points.

With the score tied at 60-60, freshman guard Lauren Johnson gave the Lady Cougars a 62-60 advantage. However, Hilary Gowins answered with a three-pointer for Kenyon to put the Ladies back on top 63-62. A three-point play by Moreno countered a basket by Fiely as Kenyon led 66-64 with 6:36 still on the clock.

At that point, MVNU rattled off nine unanswered points to take a 73-66 advantage with 3:17 to play. Johnson scored four points, while Fiely nailed a pair of free throws and junior guard Jessica Lynn made a layup. The Ladies also committed four turnovers and went 0-for-3 from the field to contribute to the run.

Then, Kenyon put together a 7-0 run of its own as Eva George scored four points and Anne Dugan nailed a trey to knot the score at 73-73 with 1:09 left.

A jumper by Mastrodonato put the Lady Cougars back on top 75-73 with 46 seconds remaining, but George went 1-of-2 at the free throw line to make it 75-74 with 35 seconds left.

After Johnson calmly sank a pair of free throws with 24 seconds still on the clock to push MVNU’s lead to 77-74, Moreno split a pair of free throw attempts with five seconds left to make it 77-75. A free throw by Himes extended the lead to 78-75, and Kenyon failed to get off a three-point shot before the final buzzer sounded as the Lady Cougars prevailed 78-75 for their seventh straight victory.

“I am very proud of how the team hung together with so much adversity throughout the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “We finally made a defensive stand and were able to come back in a hostile environment against a veteran team.”

Himes finished with 20 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Fiely added 16 points and seven assists. Mastrodonato tossed in 13 points, and Johnson (left) tallied a career-high 12 points with three assists. Freshman forward Kellie Jokela grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, and Lynn filled the stat sheet with six points, six assists, six rebounds, and five steals. The Lady Cougars, who shot a blistering 60.7 percent from the field in the second half (17-for-28), shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game (28-for-55), 41.7 percent from three-point range (5-for-12), and 68.0 percent from the free throw line (17-for-25). MVNU out-rebounded Kenyon 38-30 and forced 21 turnovers. The Lady Cougars finished with 21 turnovers of their own, but only two came in the decisive final 10 minutes of the game.

“Amanda and Melissa came up big for us tonight,” said Gregory. “Both played pivotal roles in the comeback and both helped us secure the win with big plays. (Kenyon) played Rachel very tight all night, yet she was still outstanding and is nearly impossible to guard. Lauren also stepped up and gave us crucial minutes. She didn’t play like a freshman tonight. Neither did Kellie, who came up huge with rebounds, great defense, and hustle.”

“It is encouraging for a young team to go on the road and snatch a victory when we were not playing as well as we would have liked,” Gregory added. “Kenyon is very well-coached and an outstanding team. We take great pride in beating a good team on the road tonight.”

Kenyon had five players in double figures led by Moreno with 18 points, six assists, and six rebounds. George, Dugan, and Clair all finished with 13 points apiece, while Gowins tossed in 11 points. Dugan also led the Ladies with seven rebounds and four steals. Kenyon shot 45.8 percent from the field (27-for-59), 43.5 percent from three-point range (10-for-23), and 68.8 percent at the free throw line (11-for-16).

MVNU will return to action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when the Lady Cougars will host Carlow (Pa.) University in a non-conference contest.