Notre Dame (15-6, 5-1 AMC) jumped out to an early 11-7 lead over the first seven minutes as the Lady Falcons, who received votes in the latest NAIA Division II poll, were led by Jamie Henry with five points and Yvette Hunter with four points.

The Lady Cougars (15-5, 3-4 AMC) answered with a 17-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to take a 24-13 lead with 8:36 remaining in the half. Freshman forward Alexis Harkins (left) led the surge with eight points, while sophomore guard Lauren Johnson also nailed a three-pointer.

However, Notre Dame was able to whittle the lead down and used a 15-4 run over the remainder of the half to go to the locker room with the score knotted at 28-28. Brittany Terry scored seven points during the run.

Harkins led MVNU with 10 points and five rebounds in the first half. The Lady Cougars shot 37.0 percent from the field (10-for-27), 22.2 percent from three-point range (2-for-9), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (6-for-9).

Henry and Terry both scored seven first-half points apiece to pace the Lady Falcons. Notre Dame shot 38.5 percent from the field (10-for-26), 16.7 percent from three-point range (1-for-6), and made all seven of their free throw attempts.

The Lady Falcons continued their run in the second half as they scored the first six points to go up 34-28 just a minute and a half into the final period as Henry made two baskets and Hunter added a jumper.

After MVNU pulled within 38-37 on an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore forward Kellie Jokela with 14:22 to play, Notre Dame rattled off eight straight points to take its biggest lead of the game 46-37 with 12:09 remaining.

Unfazed, the Lady Cougars battled back with a 16-3 run of their own to go back in front 53-49 with 5:04 to play. Senior guard Rachel Fiely (right) poured in eight points with a pair of treys, while Harkins added six more points during the comeback.

A 6-1 run by the Lady Falcons gave them a 55-54 lead with 3:44 to go as Henry, Hunter, and Amanda Brown each registered a field goal.

Fiely hit a jumper with 3:17 left to put MVNU back on top 56-55, but Hunter answered on Notre Dame’s next possession with a jumper of her own for a 57-56 lead with 2:58 remaining.

The teams combined for five missed shots and three turnovers over the next 2:28 before Harkins was fouled with 30 seconds remaining. After missing the first free throw attempt, she nailed the second one to knot the score at 57-57.

Ashley Carney missed a shot for the Lady Falcons with time winding down and Jokela cleared the rebound for the Lady Cougars as time ran out and the game moved into overtime tied at 57-57.

The five-minute extra session started well for MVNU as senior guard Jessica Lynn hit a jumper with the shot clock winding down on the Lady Cougars’ first possession. Then, after a defensive rebound, she got fouled with time winding down on the shot clock again and split a pair of free throws with 3:40 to go as MVNU took a 60-57 advantage.

That lead was short-lived, though, as Brown drained a three-pointer on Notre Dame’s next trip down the floor to knot the score at 60-60 with 3:26 to go. Then, Natalie Houdek made back-to-back baskets - her only two of the game - as the Lady Falcons’ lead grew to 64-60 with 2:01 left.

Lynn went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to pull the Lady Cougars within 64-61 with 1:21 remaining, and senior post Melissa Mastrodonato grabbed her own miss and put it back up and in with 54 seconds left to close the gap to 64-63.

After Carney missed a three-pointer for Notre Dame with 30 seconds on the clock, Harkins converted a three-point play to put MVNU in front 66-64 with eight seconds to go.

The Lady Cougars, who had committed just five team fouls in the half to that point, fouled the Lady Falcons with five seconds remaining when the ball got to midcourt. Brown’s shot with two seconds to go bounced off the rim, and Lynn (left) grabbed the defensive rebound to seal the 66-64 overtime win for MVNU.

“I am extremely proud of our team and coaches as we hung in and battled back at the end of regulation to tie the game,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “In overtime, we got up early by three and then gave up a couple of easy baskets to find ourselves down late in the extra session. The girls did a great job of playing with poise under pressure in getting big stops defensively and finding a way to make plays when they counted.”

“Strategy became a big part of this game as our girls played very smart at the end,” Gregory added. “Realizing we had a foul to give yet with eight seconds remaining, we decided to use that foul before they could get to the basket and thereby shorten the game. I thought fouling them with five seconds left was a huge key for us in getting the win. Our defense was solid to finish as we picked up a great win at home against a very good team in Notre Dame.”

Harkins led the Lady Cougars with a career-high 27 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. She went 7-for-15 from the field, 2-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc, and 11-for-14 at the free throw line. Fiely added 15 points and seven assists, while Jokela, Mastrodonato, and Lynn each tossed in six points with Jokela grabbing nine rebounds. MVNU shot 34.4 percent from the field (22-for-64), 21.7 percent from three-point range (5-for-23), and 70.8 percent from the free throw line (17-for-24). The Lady Cougars also forced 23 turnovers.

“Alexis really asserted herself offensively and was strong on the boards for us tonight,” said Gregory. “She made some big plays and converted her free throws. Rachel was extremely aggressive late and made some great plays even though she was fatigued by playing 40 minutes. Jessica stepped in during the end of regulation and played big defensively and then made some huge plays offensively in overtime. Our bench was loud and encouraging all night. This was a great team win.”

Henry led Notre Dame with 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out at the end of regulation. Hunter posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Brown added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Terry also tossed in 10 points off the bench. The Lady Falcons shot 39.1 percent from the field (27-for-69), 21.4 percent from three-point range (3-for-14), and 87.5 percent from the free throw line (7-for-8). Notre Dame out-rebounded MVNU 46-41 for the game.

The Lady Cougars will now take the rest of the week off before returning to action next Tuesday with a big AMC game at Ohio Dominican University. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.