The visiting Lady Panthers (15-6, 5-2 AMC South), who are ranked No. 16 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, got off to a great start by scoring the first seven points of the game on the way to an early 16-4 lead by the 13:53 mark. Kirsten Ruen nailed a trio of three-pointers to fuel the fast start.

With Ohio Dominican still holding a 20-12 advantage with 7:30 remaining in the first half, MVNU (14-7, 2-5 AMC South) went on a 17-7 run to close the half as the Lady Cougars took a 29-27 lead to the locker room at the break when freshman guard Lauren Johnson (left) banked in a three-pointer from just past half court as the horn sounded.

Freshman post Amanda Himes led MVNU with seven points and four rebounds off the bench in the first half, while Johnson and junior guards Rachel Fiely and Jessica Lynn all added five points apiece. The Lady Cougars shot 36.4 percent from the field (12-for-33), 33.3 percent from three-point range (4-for-12), and 50.0 percent from the free throw line (1-for-2).

Ruen led the Lady Panthers with 12 first-half points as she went 4-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc. Ohio Dominican shot 35.7 percent from the field (10-for-28), 33.3 percent from three-point range (4-for-12), and 60.0 percent from the free throw line (3-for-5). The Lady Panthers also held a 22-18 rebounding advantage.

A trey by junior guard Ashley Brown (right) to start the second half pushed MVNU’s lead to 32-27. However, a 29-15 run by Ohio Dominican gave the Lady Panthers a 56-47 lead with 5:18 remaining as Kaitlin Beck scored eight points to lead the surge.

The Lady Cougars did not give up, though, as MVNU used a 14-2 run of its own to take a 61-58 lead with 1:44 left on the clock. Himes scored seven points during this stretch, while Brown nailed a three-pointer.

A layup by Amanda Ritzler with 1:20 to play pulled Ohio Dominican within 61-60. Following a missed shot by the Lady Cougars, Ritzler scored on a layup with 27.1 seconds to go to put the Lady Panthers in front 62-61.

Another missed field goal by MVNU with seven seconds to go resulted in Krissy Haines being fouled with three seconds to play. Haines missed the front end of the one-and-one opportunity, but the Lady Cougars turned the ball over after grabbing the rebound as Ohio Dominican held on for the one-point win.

“What a tremendous college basketball game tonight between two very talented teams,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “The game started off slowly for us, but we were able to take some of the momentum back through the latter part of the first half when a few of our threes began to fall. Lauren hit a big one at the end of the half to put us back in the lead at the break.”

“The second half was much the same as both teams battled,” Gregory added. “We got a good look late in the game down by a point. Unfortunately, the shot did not fall.”

Himes (left) led the Lady Cougars with 22 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Brown tossed in a career-high 14 points as she went 4-for-6 from three-point range. Fiely, Lynn, and Johnson also finished with seven points apiece. MVNU shot 36.9 percent from the field (24-for-65), 35.0 percent from three-point range (7-for-20), and 60.0 percent at the free throw line (6-for-10). The Lady Cougars also forced 21 turnovers while committing just 13 themselves.

“Ashley really stepped up and played well for us tonight,” said Gregory. “She drained four threes and made several big plays on both ends of the floor. Amanda also came up big once again. She is just a big, strong presence inside who makes the defense be accountable for the inside game. That presence opens up the opportunities for our perimeter players. Our defense was also very solid all night. It really kept us in this game and gave us a chance to win at the end.”

Ruen finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Panthers, while Beck and Ritzler contributed 12 and 11 points respectively. Ohio Dominican shot 42.3 percent from the field (22-for-52), 31.8 percent from three-point range (7-for-22), and 68.8 percent from the free throw line (11-for-16). The Lady Panthers also held a commanding 43-33 edge in rebounds.

MVNU will return to action on Saturday when the Lady Cougars will travel to Wilberforce University for another AMC South Division game that will begin at 5:30 p.m.