The first half went back and forth over the first 12 minutes with the fifth tie of the game coming at 19-19 with 7:55 remaining in the half. Up to that point, there had also been nine lead changes.

With the host Yellow Jackets (4-6) holding a 22-20 advantage, MVNU (11-1) rattled off 12 straight points to take a 32-22 lead with 2:29 left before the break. Sophomore post Amanda Himes (left) led the surge with six points, while senior guard Rachel Fiely drained a three-pointer.

Defiance finally ended a 5:10 scoring drought when Shavonda Price hit the second of two free throw attempts with 2:21 remaining to cut the deficit to 32-23. The Yellow Jackets would manage three more free throws in the half to pull within 34-26 as the teams went to the locker rooms at the break.

Himes led the Lady Cougars with 12 first-half points, while Fiely added 11 points and five assists. MVNU committed 16 turnovers in the first half, but the team also out-rebounded Defiance 28-23. The Lady Cougars shot 45.2 percent from the field (14-for-31), 60.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-5), and 50.0 percent at the free throw line (3-for-6).

Jenna Deskins paced the Yellow Jackets with eight points off the bench in the first half. Defiance shot just 20.5 percent from the field (8-for-39), 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-14), and 72.7 percent from the free throw line (8-for-11).

The Yellow Jackets began chipping away at the lead right away as the second half began starting with a three-pointer by Courtney Schmersal just 37 seconds into the final half to end an 8:08 drought between field goals for Defiance.

The Yellow Jackets’ run continued over the next five minutes with Defiance scoring the first nine points of the second half to take a 35-34 advantage with 14:59 left in the game.

At this point, the game started to go back and forth again with three more ties and two more lead changes with the score deadlocked at 48-48 with 8:38 to play.

The Yellow Jackets finally appeared to be gaining control of the game with a 13-8 run over the next four minutes as Defiance grabbed a 61-56 advantage with 4:15 still on the clock.

Freshman forward Alexis Harkins started the decisive final run of the game for the Lady Cougars with a pair of free throws at the 3:10 mark. A three-pointer by sophomore forward Kellie Jokela (right) on the next possession knotted the score at 61-61 - the 11th tie of the game - with 2:41 to go.

After a jumper by Price gave the Yellow Jackets a 63-61 lead with 2:17 remaining, Jokela drilled another trey to give MVNU the lead 64-63 with 1:47 left.

Jokela recorded a steal on the ensuing Defiance possession and was fouled. She calmly went to the line and sank a pair of free throws at the 1:24 mark to extend the Lady Cougars’ lead to 66-63.

The Yellow Jackets were unable to score the rest of the way as they went 0-for-3 from the field with three turnovers. Meanwhile, Himes went 2-for-4 at the free throw line to secure the 68-63 victory.

“It is great to find a way to win on the road when things are not going your way,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “We were able to do that tonight against a very good opponent. We did not have our ‘A’ game, but we found a way late in the contest to hit some big shots and earn the win. Alexis hit two big free throws and Kellie drained two huge threes to give us the lead. Then, we sealed the deal with great defense and timely free throw shooting.”

Himes finished with 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars, while Fiely added 17 points and five assists. Jokela also tossed in all 12 of her points in the decisive second half and she grabbed seven rebounds. Harkins grabbed eight rebounds and senior guard Jessica Lynn snared a career-high seven boards to lead MVNU to a 42-39 advantage on the glass. The Lady Cougars shot 40.8 percent from the field (20-for-49), 50.0 percent from three-point range (6-for-12), and 71.0 percent from the free throw line (22-for-31). MVNU finished the game with 27 turnovers.

“Rachel was outstanding tonight,” said Gregory. “She drained some threes and made a lot of outstanding passes. She took charge at critical times and wanted the ball in her hands to make the right decisions. Amanda was solid in transition and got several easy buckets by running the floor hard. Kellie really stepped up her game tonight and made a lot of crucial plays at crunch time. She is a blue collar player who contributes mightily night in and night out.”

“Melissa (Mastrodonato), Bethany (Hughes), Ashley (Jessie), and Gabby (Fowler) all gave us good minutes off the bench tonight,” said Gregory. “The game was ultimately won with great defense and timely offense on our part.”

Price led Defiance with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Schmersal added nine points. Deskins tossed in eight points off the bench, and Mandie White and Amber Bailey both grabbed eight rebounds. The Yellow Jackets shot 34.3 percent from the field (24-for-70), 20.0 percent from three-point range (4-for-20), and 73.3 percent from the free throw line (11-for-15).

The Lady Cougars will now have 10 days between games for the Christmas break. MVNU will return to action on December 30 when the University of Cincinnati-Clermont will come for a non-conference home game that will start at 7:00 p.m.