MVNU (17-7, 4-6 AMC) did not get off to a very good start in the game as the visiting Red Storm (16-9, 6-4 AMC), who received votes in the latest NAIA Division II poll, scored the first nine points and built an early 11-1 lead at the 16:42 mark behind four points from Erin Kume and a three-pointer by Jenna Smith.

Trailing 17-8 at the 12:45 mark, the Lady Cougars rattled off nine straight points to knot the score at 17-17 with 9:55 left in the half. Sophomore guard Lauren Johnson scored four points during this surge, while sophomore forward Kellie Jokela nailed a three-pointer.

Rio Grande regained the lead 23-18, but a jumper by senior guard Ashley Brown and three points from sophomore post Amanda Himes (left) brought MVNU even again at 23-23 at the 5:39 mark.

A 12-3 run by the Red Storm built their lead back to 35-26 with 1:15 remaining before the break as Ashley Saunders scored six points, but a three-pointer by senior guard Rachel Fiely and a layup by senior wing Bethany Hughes with the shot clock winding down pulled the Lady Cougars within 35-31 as the teams went to their locker rooms at the half.

Himes paced MVNU with seven points and 10 rebounds in the first half, while Johnson and Fiely added five points apiece. The Lady Cougars shot just 32.4 percent from the field (11-for-34), 33.3 percent from three-point range (4-for-12), and 50.0 percent at the free throw line (5-for-10).

Smith led Rio Grande with seven points in the first half, while Kume and Saunders added six points apiece with Kume also grabbing five rebounds. The Red Storm shot 40.0 percent from the field (12-for-30), 16.7 percent from three-point range (1-for-6), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-for-12).

Rio Grande’s lead grew to as much as eight points on two occasions over the first three minutes of the second half, and the Red Storm still led 50-43 with just over 13 minutes left in regulation.

MVNU pulled to within one point on four different times down the stretch including 62-61 with 5:06 left. However, a jumper by Sarah Drabinski and a three-pointer by Smith extended Rio Grande’s lead back out to 67-62 with 3:36 remaining.

A pair of free throws by Fiely (right) and a jumper by Himes closed the gap to 67-65 with 3:01 to go, but Davis hit two free throws to push the Red Storm’s advantage back to 69-65 with 2:50 to play.

Freshman guard Gabby Fowler nailed a trey on the ensuing possession for the Lady Cougars and freshman forward Alexis Harkins gave MVNU its first lead of the game with a jumper after a defensive stop as the Lady Cougars went in front 70-69 with 1:31 still on the clock.

Smith answered with a pair of free throws for Rio Grande at the 1:07 mark to make it 71-70, but Harkins hit her second straight foul-line jumper to put MVNU back on top 72-71 with 56 seconds left.

After a steal by Himes, Fiely went to the free throw line and split a pair of free throws with 18.7 seconds left to push the Lady Cougars’ lead to 73-71. However, Drabinski grabbed an offensive rebound off an errant three-point attempt by Kaylee Helton and put in a short jumper to knot the score at 73-73 to force a five-minute overtime period.

MVNU got off to a great start in overtime as Fiely hit a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to put the Lady Cougars on top 78-73 as the clock moved close to the two-minute mark.

Leah Kendro hit a trey to close the gap to 78-76 with 2:09 to play, but Harkins (left) answered with a three-pointer of her own on MVNU’s next possession to increase the lead back to 81-76 with 1:50 left.

A jumper by Smith and a three-pointer by Helton knotted the score at 81-81 with one minute to go, but Fowler hit a big three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining to give the Lady Cougars an 84-81 advantage.

A layup by Helton with 31.3 seconds left cut the lead to 84-83, but two free throws by Fiely pushed the lead back to 86-83 with 29.8 seconds to go.

Then, with Rio Grande working for a potential game-tying three-pointer, the Red Storm turned the ball over with six seconds remaining. Fiely was fouled with 3.7 seconds to go and split a pair of free throws to make it 87-83. Then, senior guard Jessica Lynn stole the ball to seal the victory.

“This was a great win at home in front of a packed crowd in overtime,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “The crowd was awesome, so much so that we gave them bonus time to see our players play with the overtime period.”

“We were down big early in the game,” said Gregory. “After a timeout, we finally recovered and worked ourselves back into a good flow. We finally took the lead late in the game only to have (Rio Grande) tied it up and send us to overtime. Our kids battled in overtime, jumped out early, and it became a score-fest during the bonus five-minute frame. Rachel and Gabby both made huge plays with Rachel finishing (Rio Grande) off in overtime at the free throw line.”

Fiely finished with 24 points - 19 after halftime - and a game-high six assists, while Himes added 14 points and a game-high 20 rebounds. Harkins also contributed 14 points and six rebounds, and Fowler matched her career high with nine points off the bench. MVNU shot 38.5 percent from the field (30-for-78), 28.1 percent from three-point range (9-for-32), and 69.2 percent from three-point range (18-for-26). The Lady Cougars also posted a 48-38 rebounding advantage.

“Rachel was huge all night,” said Gregory. “She made big plays offensively and defensively. More importantly, though, was her leadership throughout. Amanda had a monster night on the boards. She is still recovering from her illness, but she came up huge for us when it mattered most. Alexis and Gabby (right) contributed in big ways at the end of regulation and in overtime.”

“Melissa (Mastrodonato) made some huge plays for us in the paint, and Jessica made several big defensive stops as she is our lock-down defender, especially in crunch time,” Gregory continued. “Ashley also made some nice plays defensively and had some huge offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive for us. Bethany played some big minutes and always contributes in a big way for this team.”

Helton led six players in double figures for the Red Storm with 16 points off the bench. Smith finished with 14 points, Kendro tossed in 13 points, and Kume added 11 points and nine rebounds. Drabinski also had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Saunders tallied 10 points. Rio Grande shot 48.3 percent from the field (29-for-60), 41.2 percent from three-point range (7-for-17), and 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18-for-23).

“I am very proud of our team and the effort they put forth tonight,” said Gregory. “They recognize that the stakes are high as we go down the stretch and try to qualify for the conference playoffs.”

MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Lady Cougars travel to Wilberforce University for another AMC contest that will tip off at 5:30 p.m.