The host Lady Raiders (21-10) jumped out to a 19-11 lead over the first 11 minutes of the game as Jaslyn Lee led the way with six points and Erin Farney and Joanna Patalano added four points apiece.

MVNU (18-12) responded with a 14-2 run to move in front 25-21 with 4:32 remaining in the half as freshman wing Kelli Pollock (left) hit back-to-back three-pointers, junior guard Jessica Lynn added a trey of her own, and junior guard Rachel Fiely tossed in three points.

Roberts Wesleyan answered with a 14-4 run of its own to close the half as the Lady Raiders took a 35-29 lead to the locker room at the break. Patalano hit a three-pointer right before the buzzer and she and Lee both registered three-point plays during the run. Erin Vess also contributed four points.

Pollock led the Lady Cougars with eight first-half points off the bench, while freshman forward Kellie Jokela added six points. MVNU shot just 27.0 percent from the field (10-for-37), 28.6 percent from three-point range (4-for-14), and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (5-for-7).

Patalano paced Roberts Wesleyan with 10 points in the first half, while Lee added nine points. The Lady Raiders shot 40.6 percent from the field (13-for-32), 20.0 percent from three-point range (1-for-5), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (8-for-10).

A three-pointer by Jackie Murphy extended Roberts Wesleyan’s lead to 38-31 to start the second half. After the teams exchanged baskets, the Lady Raiders held a 40-33 lead at the 17:25 mark.

Then, the Lady Cougars went on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 45-42 lead with 13:32 to go. Pollock scored six points during the comeback, while freshman post Amanda Himes (right) added four points.

Roberts Wesleyan answered once again, though, as the Lady Raiders got four points from Murphy to fuel a 9-1 run that put Roberts Wesleyan back on top 51-46 with 10:23 left.

The Lady Raiders still held a 55-51 lead with 3:29 remaining in regulation, but three points from Pollock and a basket from Himes closed the gap to 57-56 with 1:41 still on the clock.

After Roberts Wesleyan failed to convert on its next possession despite two offensive rebounds that led to three field goal attempts, Jokela was fouled and went 1-for-2 at the free throw line for MVNU to knot the score at 57-57 with 35 seconds to go.

After neither team was able to get a shot off in the final 35 seconds due to turnovers, the game moved into a five-minute overtime period with the score still tied at 57-57.

The Lady Cougars took a 58-57 lead in the extra session as Fiely went 1-for-2 at the free throw line. However, four quick points by Vess and a basket by Farney gave the Lady Raiders a 63-58 cushion with just 1:09 left on the clock.

Roberts Wesleyan gave MVNU a chance, though, as the Lady Raiders went just 1-for-4 at the free throw line while Jokela and Fiely each scored a basket to pull the Lady Cougars within 64-62 with four seconds to play.

Murphy hit a free throw to make it 65-62 and Patalano grabbed the offensive rebound when Murphy missed the second attempt as Roberts Wesleyan claimed the NCCAA East Region title and earned a berth in the NCCAA National Tournament with the 65-62 victory.

“This was a tough game to lose,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory, whose team has fallen in overtime in the NCCAA East Region title games in two of the past three years. “It was a game that went back and forth. We came back from a seven-point deficit in the second half and we were in a dogfight till the very end of the game. Our kids fought hard on the road against a very good opponent. We had our chances and just were unable to make the most of them when they came both in regulation and overtime.”

Our strong defensive efforts continued on Saturday and put us in a position to win the game,” Gregory continued. “Unfortunately, our offense sputtered and could not find a way to put the ball in the basket. We got plenty of good looks from all around the floor - we just could not get the ball to fall for us.”

Pollock finished with a career-high 17 points off the bench to lead the Lady Cougars. Himes posted a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Jokela (left) just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Fiely also contributed eight points, five assists, and four steals. MVNU shot 31.5 percent from the field (23-for-73), 20.8 percent from three-point range (5-for-24), and 68.8 percent from the free throw line (11-for-16). The Lady Cougars committed 22 turnovers and were out-rebounded 55-50 including 20-16 on the offensive end.

“Kelli (Pollock) set out to make amends for her struggles our first time around with Roberts Wesleyan when she did not even score,” said Gregory. “This time, she broke out for a game-high 17 points. She was a bright spot for us outside the three-point line today. Amanda had another big evening with a double-double. She had her struggles from the field just like everybody else, but she did get some easy looks in transition thanks to some good passing from Rachel. Rachel was very strong all the way around. Kellie (Jokela) was also very efficient and was on her game today.”

Roberts Wesleyan was led by Vess with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Farney and Lee both finished with 13 points apiece with Farney grabbing 13 rebounds, while Patalano added 12 points and eight rebounds. Aimee Kovinchick also registered 12 rebounds, six assists, and four steals, and Murphy contributed eight points and seven rebounds. The Lady Raiders shot 33.8 percent from the field (25-for-74), 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-14), and 61.9 percent from the free throw line (13-for-21).

The Lady Cougars wrapped up their season with the most wins (18) since the 2000-2001 team went 20-12 and captured the NCCAA national title.