MVNU (10-0) came out of the locker room on fire to start the game as the Lady Cougars scored the first 17 points of the game as sophomore post Amanda Himes (left) tossed in nine points and senior guard Jessica Lynn scored six points including converting a rare four-point play.

After Cincinnati-Clermont (7-4) finally scored on a layup by Regan Haucke at the 14:33 mark, MVNU scored six more points to push the lead to 23-2 as senior wing Bethany Hughes nailed a three-pointer, sophomore forward Kellie Jokela made a layup, and Lynn split a pair of free throws to extend the Lady Cougars’ lead with 12:39 left before the break.

Cincinnati-Clermont began to chip away at the lead and soon had whittled it down to 30-20 at the 5:56 mark. Cincinnati-Clermont got a three-pointer from four different players during this surge.

However, MVNU responded by closing the half on a 15-4 run to take a commanding 45-24 lead to the locker room at the break.

Himes led the Lady Cougars with 17 points in the first half as she went 5-for-6 from the field. Senior guard Rachel Fiely added 10 points and six assists, while Lynn added seven points. MVNU shot 42.9 percent (15-for-35) from the field, 25.0 percent from three-point range (2-for-8), and 72.2 percent from the free throw line (13-for-18).

Cincinnati-Clermont was led by Rachel Brewer and Darelene Carroll with five points apiece. Cincinnati-Clermont committed 12 first-half turnovers and shot 30.0 percent from the field (9-for-30), 57.1 percent from three-point range (4-for-7), and made both of its free throws.

In the second half, Cincinnati-Clermont was able to whittle the lead down to 64-49 with 9:42 left when Brewer drilled a three-pointer.

However, a quick 14-0 run by the Cougars pushed the lead back to 78-49 with 6:12 to play as MVNU took control of the game. Himes tossed in seven points to lead the way.

From that point on, the Lady Cougars led by at least 21 points the rest of the way as MVNU posted the 86-65 victory to extend the team’s winning streak to start season to 10 straight. The previous best start came in 2000-2001 when the team won eight straight and was ranked No. 17 in the NAIA Division II poll - the highest ranking in the program’s history.

“I am very pleased with our effort and intensity today against a very good opponent,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “We had a chance to see Cincinnati-Clermont play against Ohio Dominican the night before and recognized that we would have to play very well in order to earn a quality win.”

“Lacking some of our usual depth in key spots was also a concern,” Gregory added. “Fortunately, we played very well early on and that got things off to a very fast start. Amanda had a great first half which forced (Cincinnati-Clermont) to double team her in the second half.”

Himes led the Lady Cougars with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Fiely added 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Lynn, freshman forward Alexis Harkins, and senior post Melissa Mastrodonato (right) tossed in 10 points apiece with Harkins grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and Mastrodonato adding eight boards. Hughes also contributed nine points and seven rebounds off the bench as she and Himes were named to the All-Tournament Team. MVNU shot 43.1 percent from the field (31-for-72), 20.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-15), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (21-for-28).

“Rachel was pretty special today,” said Gregory. “Her passing ability is pretty spectacular both in transition and in the half court. Amanda’s points per minutes played is pretty amazing as well.”

“Bethany and Jessica were both outstanding today,” said Gregory. “Both contributed on both ends of the floor. Bethany grabbed several big rebounds. Melissa was pretty solid on the glass getting several easy stick backs on the offensive end. Kellie did her usual work of getting rebounds, setting great screens, and making great psses to set others up for scores.”

Brewer finished with 14 points and eight rebounds to pace Cincinnati-Clermont. Katie Ely and Shauneece Shipman added 11 points apiece. Cincinnati-Clermont committed 25 turnovers and shot 34.4 percent from the field (22-for-64), 47.1 percent from three-point range (8-for-17), and 81.2 percent from the free throw line (13-for-16).

The Lady Cougars will return to action next Saturday when MVNU will host Kenyon College in a non-conference game at 5:30 p.m. That game has been designated as a Food for the Hungry event with all proceeds from ticket sales going to the annual community drive that benefits the Salvation Army and Interchurch. Admission is $2 or six non-perishable food items for students and $4 or eight non-perishable food items for adults.