The game went back and forth for the first 12 minutes as the host Lady Jackets (12-10, 5-4 AMC South) held a slim 26-24 advantage. However, over the final eight minutes of the half, Cedarville used a 15-4 run to take a 41-28 lead to the locker room at the half.

Freshman post Amanda Himes (left) came off the bench to score 11 first-half points for the Lady Cougars (15-8, 3-6 AMC South) as she went 4-for-6 from the field. Junior guard Rachel Fiely added 10 points, but MVNU got just seven points from the rest of the team. The Lady Cougars shot 39.1 percent from the field (9-for-23), just 14.3 percent from three-point range (1-for-7), and 81.8 percent from the free throw line (9-for-11).

Alison Lemon paced the Lady Jackets with 17 first-half points, while Bayley Nosal added seven points. Cedarville shot 51.9 percent from the field (14-for-27), 55.6 percent from three-point range (5-for-9), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line. The Lady Jackets also held a commanding 22-8 rebounding advantage.

MVNU slowly but surely began to chip away at the lead as the Lady Cougars closed the gap to 45-40 with 8:22 to play as junior post Melissa Mastrodonato led the 12-4 run with six points.

After Cedarville expanded its lead back to 50-41 with 5:56 remaining, MVNU used a 9-2 surge to pull within 52-50 on a three-pointer by freshman forward Kellie Jokela with 1:28 left on the clock.

The two teams traded a pair of free throws each with the Lady Jackets clinging to a 54-52 advantage with 14 seconds to go.

After Alison Lemon split a pair of free throws to make it 55-52 with 10 seconds to go, the Lady Cougars committed a turnover before they could attempt a potential game-tying three-pointer.

Lemon went 1-for-2 at the free throw line again to give Cedarville a 56-52 cushion with two seconds left. MVNU turned the ball over on the inbounds and Nosal registered a layup to close out the 58-52 victory for the Lady Jackets.

“This was a war between two very good teams,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “The second half was a defensive struggle as both teams had a hard time finding the basket. Our defense gave us a chance tonight and we made some timely baskets to get within two points with possession of the ball and a chance to tie or even take the lead. We turned the ball over, though, and were unable to make enough plays in the final minute of the game.”

Himes finished with 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars off the bench, while Fiely (right) added 14 points and four assists. Mastrodonato tallied 10 points, and Jokela tossed in six points. MVNU shot 34.7 percent from the field (17-for-49), went just 2-for-14 from three-point range (14.3 percent), and made 16-of-22 free throws (72.7 percent).

“Amanda and Melissa worked really well together in our offense in the second half,” said Gregory. “It helped us bypass some of the double teams. Rachel is so clever and does an outstanding job of getting the ball inside when she sees the opportunity, and she can also score at will.”

Lemon led all scorers with 21 points for Cedarville to go with seven rebounds. Emily Noble added 10 points and eight rebounds, and Nosal tossed in nine points. The Lady Jackets shot 34.6 percent from the field (18-for-52) including just 16.0 percent in the second half (4-for-25). Cedarville went 6-for-18 from three-point range (33.3 percent) and 16-for-22 from the free throw line (72.7 percent). The Lady Jackets out-rebounded the Lady Cougars 42-30 including 14-9 on the offensive end.

MVNU will return to action on Saturday when the Lady Cougars will travel to NAIA Division II No. 9 Shawnee State University for another AMC South Division game that will start at 1:00 p.m.