The Lady Cougars (13-3, 1-2 AMC) got off to a quick start as a pair of baskets by freshman forward Alexis Harkins, a three-pointer by sophomore forward Kellie Jokela, and a jumper by senior center Melissa Mastrodonato (left) helped MVNU to an early 9-4 lead.

The lead grew to 32-23 with 9:18 left in the half as senior guard Rachel Fiely scored seven points and Mastrodonato added six points.

With the Lady Cougars leading 34-25 at the 7:23 mark of the first half, Daemen (10-3, 1-0 AMC) used a 16-6 run to take a 41-40 lead going to the locker room at the break. Sarah Bogardus led the way with four points, while Marky Kate Wilson drained a three-pointer and Sarah Soroka also contributed three points.

Mastrodonato led MVNU with 11 first-half points, while Harkins added nine points. Fiely and Jokela also contributed seven points apiece. The Lady Cougars shot 46.9 percent from the field (15-for-32), 44.4 percent from three-point range (4-for-9), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (6-for-9). MVNU committed just three turnovers, while the Lady Wildcats had just five turnovers in a very well-played first half.

Bogardus paced Daemen with 15 points and six rebounds in the first half. Wilson added nine points and Soroka tallied seven points and five rebounds. The Lady Wildcats shot 50.0 percent from the field (18-for-36), 12.5 percent from three-point range (1-for-8), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (4-for-5).

After Daemen went up 47-44 at the start of the second half, the Lady Cougars went on a 13-4 run to take a 57-51 lead with 11:37 left in the game. Sophomore guard Lauren Johnson led the surge with five points, while Fiely added four points.

However, with MVNU still holding a 60-55 advantage at the 8:09 mark, the Lady Wildcats began their comeback. Bogardus scored six points to knot the score at 61-61, and a three-pointer by Marybeth Nugent tied the score at 64-64 with 3:17 left.

With the score tied at 66-66, Bogardus rattled off eight straight points including a pair of three-point plays to give Daemen a 74-68 edge with 1:17 to play.

The Lady Cougars did not give in, though, as MVNU closed to within 75-73 on a trey by Jokela with 3.8 seconds left. However, a pair of free throws by Bogardus with two seconds to go wrapped up the 77-73 victory for the Lady Wildcats.

“This was a tough loss,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “We felt like we were in control at certain points of the game, and then they came back and made timely plays and shots to seize control. Bogardus is a tremendous player who earned her points tonight. We wanted to make other players beat us. We had some opportunities late in the game and just could not make enough plays. (Daemen) is a very talented, well-coached team.”

Mastrodonato finished with 17 points and five rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars, while Harkins (right) and Fiely added 15 points apiece with Harkins grabbing seven rebounds and Fiely contributing seven assists and six rebounds. Jokela also tossed in 12 ponts to go with seven rebounds, and Johnson fired in eight points off the bench. MVNU shot 39.1 percent from the field (25-for-64), 35.0 percent from three-point range (7-for-20), and 69.6 percent from the free throw line (16-for-23). The Lady Cougars shot just 31.2 percent from the field in the second half (10-for-32) including 3-for-11 from three-point range (27.3 percent). MVNU did take good care of the basketball, though, with just eight total turnovers.

“Several players stepped up offensively for us,” said Gregory. “Alexis, Rachel, Kellie, and Melissa were each critical to our effort tonight. Inspired bench play was also a key as Lauren came off the sideline and made several big plays for us. (Senior) Bethany (Hughes) was tremendous defensively. We asked her to go in and defend some of their post players. She gave up a lot of height, but she did an outstanding job and gave us crictal breaks for Melissa and Kellie.”

Bogardus finished with 39 points for Daemen on 15-for-21 shooting from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 showing at the free throw line. Soroka added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Wilson had nine points. Haleigh VanFleet also dished out a game-high 10 assists to go with seven points and five rebounds. The Lady Wildcats shot 50.0 percent from the field (31-for-62), 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-14), and 72.2 percent from the free throw line (13-for-18).

MVNU will look to bounce right back with another AMC game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. when Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College will come to the Physical Education Center.