The game went back and forth from the outset with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead over the first 17 minutes with the host Lady Panthers (19-11) holding a slim 21-20 lead with 3:17 left before the half as there were 13 lead changes and five ties up to that point.

Then, No. 5 seed MVNU (24-8), which entered the game on an eight-game winning streak, scored the final six points of the half on a layup by senior guard Rachel Fiely, a pair of free throws by sophomore center Amanda Himes (left), and a jumper by Himes as the Lady Cougars took a 26-21 lead to the locker room at the break.

Himes paced MVNU with 12 points and nine rebounds in the first half, while Fiely added eight points as the duo combined for 20 of the team’s 26 points. The Lady Cougars shot 35.7 percent from the field (10-for-28), 25.0 percent from three-point range (1-for-4), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-for-6).

Kirsten Ruen paced Ohio Dominican with five points, while Amanda Ritzler and Abby Glover added four points apiece. The Lady Panthers shot 32.1 percent from the field (9-for-28), 14.3 percent from three-point range (1-for-7), and 50.0 percent from the free throw line (2-for-4).

A jumper by freshman forward Alexis Harkins to start the second half gave MVNU its biggest lead of the game at 28-21 just 11 seconds into the final period.

However, at that point, Ohio Dominican went on a 17-3 run over the next seven and a half minutes as the Lady Panthers took a 38-31 lead of their own with 12:28 to play. Ruen led the way with five points, while Chelsea Rogers added four points.

A three-pointer by freshman guard Gabby Fowler at the 11:18 mark finally snapped the long run and pulled the Lady Cougars within 38-34. Fiely made a pair of free throws and Harkins nailed a trey with 8:48 to go to put MVNU on top 39-38.

From there, the teams traded baskets and the lead with the score knotted at 45-45 with 5:30 left. Ruen put Ohio Dominican in front 47-45 with a jumper at the 4:22 mark, but the Lady Cougars answered with a free throw by Himes with 2:34 to go and a jumper by Harkins with 1:50 remaining to go back on top 48-47.

Summer Hale’s jumper helped the Lady Panthers regain the lead 49-48 with one minute left. Then, Himes split a pair of free throws with 31.5 seconds to go to knot the score at 49-49.

After running the shot clock down, Ritzler split the MVNU defense for a layup with four seconds to go to put Ohio Dominican on top 51-49. The Lady Cougars used two timeouts to set up one final play, but MVNU turned the ball over without getting a shot off as the Lady Panthers were able to hold on for the hard-fought victory to earn the AMC’s third automatic berth into the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.

“While I know that our kids are extremely disappointed, I could not be any prouder of the way they went out and played and represented our university tonight,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “Our kids laid it all on the line and were within one possession at the end. What a tremendous game tonight.”

“(Ohio Dominican) is a well-coached team that played an outstanding game,” Gregory continued. “They deserve credit for the way they played. This game went back and forth all the way to the end. What a tremendous crowd who got to see a great game tonight. I am thankful to all the MVNU people who traveled out to the game and supported us tonight.”

Himes led the Lady Cougars with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Fiely (right) added 14 points and four assists. Harkins also added 11 points. MVNU shot just 31.5 percent from the field (17-for-54) including just 26.9 percent in the second half (7-for-26). The Lady Cougars also shot 21.4 percent from three-point range (3-for-14) and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (12-for-18).

“Amanda did a great job on the low block offensively and was a fierce rebounder for us tonight,” said Gregory. “Rachel battled all night long and made a lot of big plays for us. Alexis also found creative ways to score and help us out on both ends of the floor.”

Ruen finished with 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Ohio Dominican, while Rogers added 11 points and eight rebounds. Hale also just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds, and Ritzler contributed six points and six rebounds. The Lady Panthers shot 36.4 percent from the field (20-for-55), 18.2 percent from three-point range (2-for-11), and 69.2 percent from the free throw line (9-for-13).

While the Lady Cougars’ dreams off advancing to the NAIA Division II National Tournament for the first time came to end, MVNU will now turn its focus to the National Christian College Athletic Association playoffs. The Lady Cougars will most likely host Nyack (N.Y.) College in the NCCAA East Region championship game on Saturday with the start time to be announced. More details will be released on http://cougars.mvnu.edu as they become available.