Just like it was in the first meeting between these two teams back on November 14 in a 49-39 win by MVNU on its home court, scoring was at a premium early on again as the host Lady Panthers (13-9, 7-2 AMC) held a 16-10 lead after the first 11 minutes of action.

Then, the Lady Cougars (15-6, 3-5 AMC) used an 11-3 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 21-19 lead with 5:20 left before the half. Sophomore guard Lauren Johnson (left) led the comeback with four points, while senior guard Rachel Fiely capped it with a three-point play.

However, a pair of treys from Jordan Smithberger and a three-pointer each by Melissa Hersey and Kirsten Ruen fueled a 14-5 run by Ohio Dominican that gave the Lady Panthers a 33-26 advantage with 1:23 remaining in the half on the way to a 35-29 halftime cushion.

Sophomore post Amanda Himes led MVNU with nine points off the bench in the first half on 4-for-6 shooting in her first appearance since December 19. Johnson added seven points, and the Lady Cougars held a 16-13 rebounding advantage. MVNU shot 46.2 percent from the field (12-for-26), 25.0 percent from three-point range (2-for-8), and made all three of its free throw attempts.

Summer Hale led Ohio Dominican with seven first-half points, while Smithberger, Chelsea Rogers, and Amanda Ritzler tossed in six points apiece. The Lady Panthers shot 44.4 percent from the field (12-for-27), 42.9 percent from three-point range (6-for-14), and 62.5 percent from the free throw line (5-for-8). Ohio Dominican committed just four first-half turnovers and forced the Lady Cougars into 10 miscues in the first half.

A three-point play by Hersey less than two minutes into the second half extended the Lady Panthers’ lead to 38-29.

However, over the next 10 minutes, MVNU chipped away at the lead and used a 19-10 run to pull even at 48-48 with 8:20 to play. Senior wing Bethany Hughes nailed a pair of three-pointers to help with the comeback.

Then, the Lady Cougars hit a lull as they committed three turnovers and missed their next six field goal attempts to go 3:49 without scoring as Ohio Dominican took advantage by going on a 13-4 run to go back up 61-52 with 2:23 remaining. Smithberger scored seven points and Ruen hit a three-pointer to lead the way.

Back-to-back baskets by freshman forward Alexis Harkins closed the gap to 61-56 with 1:33 to go, but Hale went 2-for-2 and Hersey went 4-for-4 at the free throw line to seal the 67-61 victory for the Lady Panthers, who have now won seven of their last nine games.

“This was a game where we had opportunities late, but we were unable to do anything with them,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “With seven and a half minutes to go, we were only down two and had about five possessions where we got a couple of good looks from the block only to come up empty. We also turned the ball over during that stretch which proved to be a critical one for us. (Ohio Dominican) did a tremendous job defensively and was very stingy on defense.”

“We need to get our offense on track quickly and make more plays on that side of the ball,” Gregory added. “Our defense has been solid and our offense needs to step up. It was nice to get Amanda back tonight. It is goings to take some time for her to get her wind back, but it is nice to have a little more depth in the post. We got scoring from a lot of different people tonight. Bethany stepped up and gave us a big lift in the second half. Gabby also gave us a lift by knocking down a couple of three-pointers.”

Himes (right) finished with 13 points in 18 minutes off the bench, while Harkins, Hughes, and Fiely added eight points apiece with Fiely handing out five assists. Johnson tallied seven points, and freshman guard Gabby Fowler drained a pair of three-pointers to match her career high with six points. Sophomore Kellie Jokela also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. MVNU shot 41.7 percent from the field (25-for-60), 33.3 percent from three-point range (5-for-15), and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (6-for-7). The Lady Cougars held a 35-30 rebounding advantage, but 17 less free throw attempts proved to be too much to overcome as Ohio Dominican went 19-for-24 at the line (79.2 percent).

Smithberger finished with 14 points off the bench to lead the Lady Panthers, while Hersey added 12 points and Ritzler and Hale tossed in 11 points apiece with Ritzler handing out 10 assists. Ruen also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Ohio Dominican shot 41.7 percent from the field (20-for-48) and 33.3 percent from three-point range (8-for-24).

Things will not get any easier for the Lady Cougars as they will travel to No. 18 Cedarville University on Thursday night for a non-conference game that will tip off at 5:30 p.m.