After trailing 7-2 to start the game, MVNU (5-1) went on a 42-18 run to close the half as the Lady Cougars built a 44-25 cushion as the teams went to the locker room at the break. Freshman post Amanda Himes (left) came off the bench to score 17 points in the first half on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. Junior guard Rachel Fiely added 11 points by going 3-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. MVNU shot 45.9 percent from the field (17-for-37), 41.7 percent from three-point range (5-for-12), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-for-6).

“We lacked a little aggression after the opening tip and found ourselves in a hole,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “We quickly dug our way out after Kellie Jokela nailed a pair of treys and then we began to play. I was pleased with our first half. We shot the ball well and only had 6 turnovers at the break. We also defended very well and held them to just 27% shooting from the floor.

Meanwhile, the visiting Lady Racers (2-4) shot just 27.3 percent from the field (9-for-33), 12.5 percent from three-point range (1-for-8), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line. Northwestern Ohio was also out-rebounded 25-22 in the first half.

The Lady Racers closed the gap to 53-42 on a three-pointer by Stacy Feathers at the 13:50 mark. However, three straight baskets by Himes, a pair of free throws by freshman guard Lauren Johnson, and a three-pointer by freshman guard Kelli Pollack fueled an 11-2 run to push the lead back to 64-44 with 7:06 remaining. The Lady Cougars led by as much as 81-51 as they posted an 81-57 victory.

Himes finished with a career-high 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field. She also grabbed 10 rebounds, while Fiely (right) went 5-for-8 from three-point range to total 17 points. Pollock also reached double figures with 13 points, and Johnson contributed eight points and a career-high six assists. MVNU shot 39.4 percent from the field (28-for-71), 46.2 percent from three-point range (12-for-26), and 81.2 percent from the free throw line (13-for-16).

“We did knock down 12 three-pointers including five by Rachel,” said Gregory. “Rachel is an outstanding shooter and answered any kind of run they would put together with a trey. Our freshmen also played very well for us. Amanda came off the bench with her motor running and played well for us. She drained a couple of quick eight-foot jump hooks and never looked back on her way to a career-high of 26 points. She also grabbed 10 rebounds for another double-double in only 20 minutes of action.”

“Kelli Pollock and Lauren also gave us quality minutes and both stepped up and knocked down some big three-pointers when (Northwestern Ohio) went to their zone in the second half” Gregory added. “Kellie Jokela also gave us some quality time out on the floor. Her offensive numbers will not pop out at you, but she has an uncanny knack for playing hard and making plays for our team. A few of our veterans struggled tonight, but our bench picked us up. That's the difference that a year makes with a team and new personnel.”

Feathers led the Lady Racers with 13 points, while Kristine Koester finished with 11 rebounds and eight points. Kristi Platfoot also grabbed 10 rebounds for Northwestern Ohio, which shot 32.3 percent from the field (20-for-62), 15.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-20), and 63.6 percent from the free throw line (14-for-22).

MVNU will return to action on Friday and Saturday when the Lady Cougars will take part in the Ohio Dominican University Classic. MVNU will take on Concordia (Mich.) University at 6:00 p.m. Friday in the first round of action. Then, the Lady Cougars will face Pikeville (Ky.) College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

“We have a big weekend coming up,” said Gregory. “We are looking forward to traveling to Ohio Dominican and playing both Concordia (Mich.) and Pikeville (Ky.) this weekend. We'll find out how much progress we are making with our team after facing two more quality opponents.