MVNU (13-6, 1-4 AMC South) jumped out to an early 10-5 lead by the 14:23 mark as freshman forward Kellie Jokela (left) scored five quick points and freshman post Amanda Himes added four points.

However, the Redwomen (15-4, 3-2 AMC South) finally got their offense going and went on a 24-6 run to grab a 29-16 advantage with 4:27 remaining before halftime. Kaylee Helton fueled the surge with eight points that included a pair of three-pointers, while Britney Walker added five points.

The Lady Cougars were able to close the gap before the break as MVNU out-scored Rio Grande 11-4 to pull within 33-27 as the teams went to the locker rooms at the half. Junior guard Rachel Fiely scored four points and junior guard Ashley Brown nailed a three-pointer to help the late run.

Jokela led the Lady Cougars with seven points and six rebounds in the first half, while junior post Melissa Mastrodonato added five points and five rebounds. MVNU shot just 26.5 percent from the field (9-for-34), 18.2 percent from three-point range (2-for-11), and 70.0 percent from the free throw line (7-for-10). The Lady Cougars did hold a 22-18 rebounding edge and committed just five first-half turnovers.

Helton paced the Redwomen in the first half with eight points off the bench, while Walker finished with seven points. Rio Grande shot 45.2 percent from the field (14-for-31), 50.0 percent from three-point range (4-for-8), and connected on 1-of-2 free throw attempts.

A pair of layups by Erin Kume and a basket by Walker pushed the Redwomen’s lead back to 39-27 just over two minutes into the second half.

However, MVNU responded with four points from Himes (right), a three-pointer from freshman guard Lauren Johnson, and a basket each by Fiely and junior guard Jessica Lynn to pull within 39-38 with 13:17 remaining in the contest.

However, that would prove to be as close as the Lady Cougars would get as Alix Pulley hit a three-pointer and a pair of free throws and Leah Kendro nailed a pair of treys to extend Rio Grande’s lead back out to 50-44 with 8:22 left.

Trailing 54-46 with 3:32 to go, Fiely nailed a pair of three-pointers and Johnson drained another trey to close the gap to 58-56 with 49 seconds to go. From there, the Redwomen went 3-for-4 at the free throw line to seal the 61-56 victory.

“A slow first half really cost us on the road against a very good team tonight,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “We shot the ball very poorly in the first half, especially around the three-point line. We played much harder and made a lot more plays in the second half. We got ourselves back into the game and had opportunities to tie or take the lead.”

“Down the stretch, we made mistakes and did not finish plays,” said Gregory. “The effort was there, but the discipline to make the plays was not. We had a chance to make those plays and that is all you can ask for on the road against a nationally-ranked team.”

Himes finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars, while Fiely added 11 points. Johnson tossed in nine points off the bench with a trio of treys, and Jokela contributed nine rebounds and seven points. Mastrodonato also grabbed nine rebounds as MVNU held a 39-36 edge in rebounds. The Lady Cougars shot just 33.9 percent from the field (20-for-59), 27.3 percent from three-point range (6-for-22), and 58.8 percent at the free throw line (10-for-17).

Walker was the lone Rio Grande player to reach double figures as she finished with 11 points. Kume added eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Pulley and Kendro tallied nine points apiece. The Redwomen shot 40.4 percent from the field (23-for-57), 53.8 percent from three-point range (7-for-13), and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (8-for-13).

MVNU will look to end its three-game losing skid on Saturday when the Lady Cougars will host Urbana University in another AMC South Division game that will tip off at 5:30 p.m.