MVNU (11-3, 0-1 AMC South) got off to a good start as the Lady Cougars held a 17-14 lead after the first nine minutes as junior guard Jessica Lynn, junior guard Rachel Fiely, and freshman wing Kelli Pollock (left) each nailed a three-pointer.

Then, the visiting Lady Jackets (8-6, 1-0 AMC South) rattled off 15 straight points to take a 29-17 lead with 5:34 remaining in the half. Mary Stockdale, Alison Lemon, and Lydia Miller each scored four points, while Rachel Hurley drained a three-pointer.

MVNU pulled within 29-24 on a jumper by Fiely with 1:24 left in the half, but Hurley gave Cedarville a 31-24 halftime advantage as she answered with a basket of her own.

Pollock tossed in eight first-half points with a pair of treys, while Fiely added five points. The Lady Cougars shot 37.0 percent from the field (10-for-27), 30.8 percent from three-point range (4-for-13), and missed all three of their free throw attempts. They also committed 12 first-half turnovers.

Hurley led the Lady Jackets with 10 first-half points, while Miller and Lemon added six points apiece. Cedarville held a commanding 28-15 advantage in rebounds including a 12-3 edge on the offensive end. The Lady Jackets shot 35.1 percent from the field (13-for-37), 30.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-10), and made both of their free throw attempts.

Cedarville’s lead grew back to 34-24 to start the second half as Aubrey Siemon converted a three-point play to open the final period.

However, MVNU did not give in and responded with a 26-6 run to take a 50-40 lead with 10:15 to play. Fiely led the comeback with 11 points that included a three-pointer and a pair of three-point plays, while Pollock and freshman post Amanda Himes both contributed six points apiece.

With the Lady Cougars leading 52-42 with 8:28 remaining, the Lady Jackets used a 17-7 run to knot the game at 59-59 with 1:04 left on a pair of free throws by Lemon.

MVNU had an opportunity to take the lead, but the Lady Cougars missed a shot and then turned the ball over after getting the offensive rebound with 37 seconds to play.

Cedarville missed two shots in the final 20 seconds but grabbed the offensive rebound both times. After calling a timeout with 16 seconds left on the clock, Lemon hit a jumper in the lane as the buzzer sounded to give the Lady Jackets the 61-59 victory.

“This was a tough game to lose,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “After coming back early in the half from a double digit deficit and taking a lead and maintaining it throughout, to lose another game on a last-second shot is a tough one on the psyche. Our kids played hard and they wanted this game. (Cedarville) just made the plays when they needed to.”

“Cedarville dominated us on the offensive glass tonight,” added Gregory as the Lady Cougars were out-rebounded 47-34 overall and 21-10 on the offensive end. “Our defense was pretty good all night, but they were just able to extend possessions by getting offensive boards. Also, in a tight contest, you most convert free throws. We were 5-of-10 at home and that is just not good enough.”

Fiely (right) finished with 20 points to lead all scorers as she also added six rebounds and four assists. Pollock equaled her career high with 14 points as she drained four treys, while Himes tallied 12 points and six rebounds. Freshman forward Kellie Jokela also contributed seven points, seven rebounds, and a career-high four assists. MVNU shot 41.8 percent from the field (23-for-55), 34.8 percent from three-point range (8-for-23), and 50.0 percent at the free throw line (5-for-10). The Lady Cougars also committed 18 turnovers.

“Rachel was outstanding,” said Gregory. “She made a lot of big plays on both ends of the floor. Kelli (Pollock) stepped up and made some big shots for us as well. Kellie (Jokela) was great on both ends of the floor. She’s the Energizer Bunny and never seems to tire. Amanda saw double teams most of the night and was still able to convert.”

Hurley led four Lady Jackets in double figures with 15 points, while Miller added 14 points. Lemon registered 12 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, and Stockdale contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Siemon also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Cedarville shot 36.1 percent from the field (26-for-72), 22.2 percent from three-point range (4-for-18), and made all five of their its free throw attempts.

MVNU will return to action on Thursday when the Lady Cougars will travel to the University of Northwestern Ohio for a non-conference game that will tip off at 7:00 p.m. This game was originally scheduled for December 15 but was postponed due to inclement weather.