The Lady Cougars (13-3, 1-1 AMC South) jumped out to an 11-1 lead as freshman post Amanda Himes (left) scored four points and the visiting Lady Bulldogs (4-10, 0-2 AMC South) missed their first six shots and committed seven turnovers.

After Wilberforce pulled within 13-7 at the 10:55 mark, MVNU closed the half on a 36-14 run to build a commanding 49-21 lead at the break.

Himes and junior guard Rachel Fiely both scored 13 points apiece in the first half, while junior guard Jessica Lynn added 11 points. Fiely also dished out six assists, and freshman forward Kellie Jokela grabbed six rebounds. The Lady Cougars shot 50.0 percent from the field (20-for-40), 50.0 percent from three-point range (8-for-16), and just 16.7 percent from the free throw line (1-for-6).

The Lady Bulldogs were led by Janicia Anderson with eight points, while Kaprice Gandy tossed in five points off the bench. Wilberforce shot 30.4 percent from the field (7-for-23), 20.0 percent from three-point range (1-for-5), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (6-for-8).

MVNU continued to extend its lead in the second half as the Lady Cougars led by as much as 88-47 on a three-pointer by Fiely with 5:09 to play. From there, MVNU posted the 90-57 victory to even the team’s conference mark at 1-1.

Himes led the Lady Cougars with career highs of 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Fiely (right) also posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists. Lynn finished with 17 points, while junior post Melissa Mastrodonato and freshman wing Kelli Pollock both tossed in eight points apiece. Jokela grabbed 10 rebounds, and junior guard Ashley Brown dished out six assists off the bench. MVNU shot 45.3 percent from the field (34-for-75), 41.4 percent from three-point range (12-for-29), and a dismal 40.0 percent at the free throw line (10-for-25).

Wilberforce was led by Anderson with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Charita Harris tossed in 14 points. Arielle Brown also finished with 10 points. The Lady Bulldogs shot 33.3 percent from the field (18-for-54), 20.0 percent from three-point range (2-for-10), and 73.1 percent from the free throw line (19-for-26). Wilberforce also committed 23 turnovers in the game.

MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Lady Cougars will travel to Walsh University for another conference game that will start at 5:30 p.m.