MVNU (21-7, 8-6 AMC) got off to a great start as the Lady Cougars scored the first 16 points of the game. Freshman forward Alexis Harkins (left) led the way with five points, while sophomore forward Kellie Jokela added four points.

The host Lady Celtics (0-25, 0-14 AMC) finally got on the scoreboard at the 14:26 mark when Erica Holby hit a jumper to make it 16-2. However, MVNU continued to build on its lead as the Lady Cougars out-scored Carlow 26-12 the rest of the half to take a commanding 42-14 lead to the locker room at the break.

Sophomore post Amanda Himes led MVNU with 11 first-half points and seven rebounds, while Harkins added seven points and five rebounds. Senior point guard Rachel Fiely also dished out seven assists. The Lady Cougars shot a blistering 53.1 percent from the field (17-for-32), 27.3 percent from three-point range (3-for-11), and 83.3 percent at the free throw line (5-for-6).

Colleen Cannon and Sarah McAteer both scored four points apiece in the first half to lead the Lady Celtics with Cannon also grabbing three rebounds. Carlow shot just 15.4 percent from the field (4-for-26), missed all nine of its three-point attempts, and shot 75.0 percent from the free throw line (6-for-8).

The second half was more of the same as MVNU built as much as a 41-point lead before settling for the 75-38 victory by out-scoring the Lady Celtics 33-24 over the final 20 minutes despite not playing any starter more than 11 minutes.

“Overall, I was pleased with our effort and intensity tonight,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “We played a team that we knew was not overly-talented and avoided a letdown. We took care of business early and built a big lead at the break. Amanda had another great effort, while Rachel distributed the ball and kept everyone involved. It was nice that everyone played tonight.”

Himes (right) posted a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds in just 17 minutes to lead the Lady Cougars as she went 6-for-8 from the field and 8-for-13 from the free throw line. Senior post Melissa Mastrodonato added 10 points off the bench on 5-for-6 shooting, while Harkins finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots. Freshman guard Gabby Fowler tossed in eight points off the bench, and Fiely and Jokela each contributed seven points apiece with Fiely dishing out eight assists to go with four steals. MVNU shot 46.0 percent from the field (29-for-63), 30.4 percent from three-point range (7-for-23), and 58.8 percent from the free throw line (10-for-17).

Lauren Roscoe led the Lady Celtics with nine points, while McAteer finished with eight points. Cannon also grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Carlow shot just 26.8 percent from the field (15-for-56), 5.6 percent from three-point range (1-for-18), and 58.3 percent from the free throw line (7-for-12).

While MVNU clinched its first berth in the conference tournament since the 1999-2000 season, the Lady Cougars will look to lock up the No. 5 seed in the upcoming six-team AMC Tournament when they travel to Point Park (Pa.) University on Saturday for another conference game that will tip off at 2:00 p.m. A win over Point Park or a victory by Notre Dame College at the University of Rio Grande would give MVNU the No. 5 seed in the tournament. The Lady Cougars are still within reach of the program record for most wins that was set in 1993-1994 when MVNU went 23-10.