MVNU (16-9, 4-7 AMC South) roared out to a 10-2 lead to start the game as junior guard Rachel Fiely (left) scored five quick points to lead the Lady Cougars.

After the visiting Lady Cavaliers (11-13, 4-7 AMC South) pulled within 14-10 at the 14:11 mark, MVNU used an 18-6 run to build a 32-16 cushion with 5:05 left in the half as junior guard Jessica Lynn scored five points, junior post Melissa Mastrodonato added four points, and freshman post Amanda Himes, junior guard Ashley Brown, and junior wing Bethany Hughes tossed in three points apiece.

The Lady Cougars were able to maintain their double-digit advantage as MVNU took a 39-25 lead to the locker room at the break.

Himes led the Lady Cougars with nine first-half points and five rebounds off the bench, while Lynn tossed in seven points. Brown also tallied six points as she nailed both of her three-point attempts, and Fiely and Mastrodonato contributed five points apiece. MVNU shot 43.2 percent from the field (16-for-37), 36.4 percent from three-point range (4-for-11), and 42.9 percent from the free throw line (3-for-7). The Lady Cougars held a 19-17 rebounding advantage and committed just six turnovers to 10 miscues for Walsh.

Katie Berry led Walsh with eight first-half points. The Lady Cavaliers shot 43.5 percent from the field (10-for-23), missed both of their three-point attempts, and went 5-for-8 from the free throw line (62.5 percent).

MVNU maintained a double-digit lead for the first 15 minutes of the second half including holding a 49-33 advantage with 13:23 to play following a pair of free throws by Hughes.

Then, Walsh used a 14-3 run to pull within 52-47 with 1:30 remaining as Berry, Cara Bedard, and Ciera Burkes each scored four points to fuel the comeback.

A jumper by Mastrodonato with 1:14 to go and a free throw by Fiely with 41 seconds left gave the Lady Cougars a 55-47 lead.

After Leah Seaman closed the gap to 55-49 on a layup with 36 seconds still on the clock, Fiely and Lynn both hit a pair of free throws and Brown split a pair to give MVNU the hard-fought 59-49 victory.

“This was a much-needed win for our team after playing several tight games and coming out on the wrong side of the scoreboard,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “This game got us right back where we wanted to be which is in the chase to make the conference tournament.”

“Our offense was good in the first half, especially getting second-chance opportunities,” Gregory added. “The second half saw two great teams putting in a great defensive effort and really clamping down. Fortunately, we were able to make a few more plays and convert our free throw attempts when we needed them.”

Fiely finished with a game-high 15 points, six assists, and four rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars. Her jumper at the 17:42 mark of the second half made her the 19th player and only sixth junior in MVNU women’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points. Himes added 11 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots off the bench, while Lynn (right) tossed in eight points. Mastrodonato and Brown also contributed seven points apiece with Mastrodonato grabbing seven rebounds to help the Lady Cougars to a 40-36 advantage on the boards including a 22-12 edge on the offensive end. MVNU shot 33.8 percent from the field (22-for-65), just 18.2 percent from three-point range (4-for-22), and 57.9 percent at the free throw line (11-for-19).

“It was great to see Rachel get her 1,000th career point tonight,” said Gregory. “She has been a tremendous asset to this team over the past three years and stepped up big for us again tonight. Bethany also did an outstanding job defensively for us and is always ready to play when called upon.”

Berry led Walsh with 12 points and four assists, while Bedard finished with 10 points and five rebounds. The Lady Cavaliers shot 40.8 percent from the field (20-for-49), missed all three of their three-point attempts in the game, and connected on 9-of-12 free throw attempts (75.0 percent).

“I was very pleased with the turnout and support of both our campus and our local community for our Think Pink event,” said Gregory. “It was great to see the stands filled with the pink t-shirts and to raise both money and awareness for the cause. I really appreciate the support from our sponsors to make this event possible, too. MVNU, The Pink Cupcake, Sport-N-Shoes, Sharx Design, MVNU’s Student Government Association, the Mount Vernon News, Kroger, Dr. Joseph Nussbaum, and the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute all made contributions that made this a success in its first year on our campus. I look forward to this becoming an annual event.”

“Think Pink Night” was held in conjunction with the “Think Pink” initiative sponsored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Over 900 teams have joined together during the week of February 8-17 to raise awareness and financial support in the battle to fight breast cancer.

MVNU will return to action on Saturday as the Lady Cougars travel to Urbana University for an important AMC South Division game with playoff implications for both teams. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.