MVNU (13-5, 1-3 AMC South) jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead as junior guard Rachel Fiely (left) scored four points and freshman wing Kellie Pollock nailed a three-pointer.

Over the remainder of the half, there were six lead changes and three ties as the teams went to the locker rooms with the visiting Lady Bears (15-3, 4-0 AMC South) holding a slim 32-30 advantage at the break.

Fiely led the Lady Cougars with nine first-half points, while junior post Melissa Mastrodonato tossed in six points. MVNU shot 37.9 percent from the field (11-for-29), 28.6 percent from three-point range (4-for-14), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-for-6). The Lady Cougars held a 23-16 rebounding advantage, but the team also committed 10 turnovers.

Jennifer Grandy paced the Lady Bears with nine points, while Karen Diehl contributed seven points. Shawnee State shot 41.9 percent from the field (13-for-31), 20.0 percent from three-point range (2-for-10), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-for-6).

MVNU closed the gap to 36-35 following a pair of free throws by freshman forward Kellie Jokela at the 17:04 mark. From there, the Lady Bears rattled off 12 unanswered points to build their lead to 48-35 with 12:33 remaining.

The Lady Cougars were able to pull within three points on two occasions with the final time coming at 7:55 on a layup by freshman guard Lauren Johnson (right) to make it 54-51 in favor of Shawnee State.

However, that would be as close as MVNU would get the rest of the way as the Lady Bears closed the game on a 14-4 run to post the 68-55 victory and remain unbeaten in conference play.

Fiely led the Lady Cougars with 17 points and five rebounds, while Johnson and freshman post Amanda Himes each finished with 10 points apiece with Himes also grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Mastrodonato contributed seven points and eight rebounds. MVNU shot 30.5 percent from the field (18-for-59), 30.8 percent from three-point range (8-for-26), and 78.6 percent from the free throw line (11-for-14). The Lady Cougars out-rebounded the Lady Bears 43-33, but also committed 18 turnovers.

Grandy led Shawnee State with a game-high 20 points, while Alison Meyer tossed in 14 points. Karen Diehl added 12 points off the bench, while Kelly Wagner scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Lady Bears shot 46.4 percent from the field (26-for-56), 25.0 percent from three-point range (5-for-20), and 73.3 percent from the free throw line (11-for-15).

MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Lady Cougars will travel to the University of Rio Grande for another AMC South Division contest that will tip off at 6:00.