After the Lady Cavaliers (7-7, 1-0 AMC) jumped out to an 8-5 lead to start the game, MVNU (12-2, 0-1 AMC) used an 11-1 run to go in front 16-9 at the 14:38 mark. Sophomore forward Kellie Jokela (left) nailed a pair of three-pointers and senior guard Rachel Fiely added a three-point play to pace the Lady Cougars’ surge.

Walsh answered with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to knot the score at 16-16. The two teams would then trade points over the next six minutes with the score tied at 28-28 with 6:27 left before the halftime break.

At that point, Fiely and freshman forward Alexis Harkins both scored six points apiece to fuel a 19-12 run to close the half as MVNU took a 47-40 lead as the teams went to the locker room at the break.

Fiely and Harkins both scored 11 first-half points for the Lady Cougars with Fiely dishing out five assists. MVNU shot 47.4 percent from the field (18-for-38), 57.1 percent from three-point range (8-for-14), and 100 percent from the free throw line (3-for-3).

Katie Berry led Walsh with 10 points in the first half, while Chelsea Chaffin added nine points. The Lady Cavaliers shot a blistering 63.6 percent from the field (14-for-22), missed both three-point attempts, and went 12-for-14 from the free throw line (85.7 percent).

A pair of three-pointers by Fiely helped the Lady Cougars extend the lead to 53-44 by the 16:45 mark of the second half. The lead was still 58-50 after a trey by freshman guard Gabby Fowler with 14:23 to play.

At that point, Walsh began a decisive 22-5 run that would be the turning point in the game as the Lady Cavaliers clicked on all cylinders over the next 10 minutes to take their biggest lead of the game 72-63 with just four minutes left. Meanwhile, MVNU went just 2-for-18 from the field during that span.

Jokela finally ended the Lady Cougars’ scoring drought of 6:21 with a three-pointer with 3:21 to play to cut the lead to 72-66. Then, Harkins trimmed the lead to 72-69 with another three-pointer at the 1:42 mark.

MVNU had a chance to pull even closer with a pair of defensive stands, but both times the Lady Cougars committed a costly turnover to give the ball right back to Walsh.

Chaffin extended the lead to 73-66 by going 1-for-2 at the free throw line with 11 seconds left. Then, the Lady Cavaliers, who had only been whistled for three fouls in the half up to that point, fouled MVNU three times as the Lady Cougars tried to get the ball up the court. The strategy paid off as the buzzer sounded following Harkins’ basket to make the final score 73-71.

“We are very disappointed that we let this game slip away,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “We shot the ball very well in the first half, but really did not get to the free throw line with any regularity. We cooled off in the second half, especially inside the arc. Another big struggle was not being able to get to the line in the second half.”

“Our defense was not as strong as it has been previously, and we suffered the consequences of not being able to dominate on the defensive end of the floor,” said Gregory. “It was a good effort overall, but in conference play there is very little room for error on the road.”

Fiely (right) finished with 20 points and six assists to lead MVNU, while Harkins added 18 points and nine rebounds. Jokela also contributed 11 points as she went 3-for-3 from three-point range. The Lady Cougars committed 11 turnovers in the second half and finished with 19 in the game. MVNU shot just 39.7 percent from the field (27-for-68) including only 30.0 percent in the second half. The Lady Cougars did nailed 14 three-pointers in 34 attempts (41.2 percent) and finished 3-for-3 at the free throw line with all three attempts coming in the first half.

“Rachel was outstanding again in all facets of the game,” said Gregory. “She drained big shots and consistently found the open person. Alexis hit shots and led us in rebounding. She continues to improve each time out and was really looking to be more offensive-minded today. Kellie also hit some big shots and was really looking for her opportunities. She got in some early foul trouble which hurt us with our lack of depth. Our bench came in and gave us solid contributions. We’ve got to learn from this loss as we prepare for our next conference game.”

Berry led Walsh with 20 points, while Chaffin finished with 17 points and five assists. Cara Bedard also contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, and the Lady Cavaliers posted a 38-33 rebounding advantage. Walsh shot 50.0 percent from the field (28-for-56), 33.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-6), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (15-for-20).

MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Lady Cougars begin a four-game homestand with a 7:00 p.m. AMC game against Malone University.