The first half of the game went back and forth as both teams struggled to find their shooting touch. MVNU (25-9) took a one-point lead to the locker room at the half as the Lady Cougars led 32-31.

Sophomore post Amanda Himes led MVNU with nine points and eight rebounds in the first half, while freshman forward Alexis Harkins (left) added seven points and senior guard Rachel Fiely dished out six assists to go with six points. The Lady Cougars shot 37.1 percent from the field (13-for-35), 33.3 percent from three-point range (5-for-15), and just 25.0 percent from the free throw line (1-for-4).

The Lady Oaks (16-13) were led by Kayla Sutton with eight points and five rebounds in the first half, while Jesse Oxley added seven points. Oakland City shot 38.2 percent from the field (13-for-34), 28.6 percent from three-point range (2-for-7), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (3-for-4).

Fueled by an 8-2 run two minutes into the second half, MVNU built as much as a 17-point lead before settling for the 81-70 victory. The Lady Cougars shot a blistering 57.7 percent from the field (15-for-26) and went 18-for-24 from the free throw line (75.0 percent) in the second half to cruise to the victory.

“I am very proud of the effort and determination that our girls showed against Oakland City,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “They are an NCAA Division II program and we knew that we needed to shake the jitters early and earn our keep in the tournament.”

“Our kids did just that and made plays,” Gregory continued. “The first half ended with us hanging on to a one-point lead. The second half was a much better shooting half for us. We also found a way to get to the free throw line with a little more frequency in the second half. Our defense was especially hungry in the second half as it made numerous big plays for us.”

Himes finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocked shots to lead the Lady Cougars as she also became the first sophomore and only the 20th player in MVNU women’s basketball history to top the 1,000-point mark in career scoring as she now has scored 1,015 in just 56 career games for a 18.1 scoring average. She also broke the school’s single-season rebounding mark of 283 rebounds set by Andrea Thompson in 1981-1982. Himes now has 287 rebounds in just 26 games this year.

Sophomore guard Lauren Johnson added 14 points, while Harkins tallied 12 points and eight rebounds. Fiely recorded nine points and 11 rebounds, and senior guard Jessica Lynn also contributed nine points, four rebounds, and four assists off the bench. The Lady Cougars’ bench outscored the Oakland City reserves 20-4 in the game. MVNU shot 45.9 percent from the field (28-for-61), 27.3 percent from three-point range (6-for-22), and 67.9 percent from the free throw line (19-for-28). The Lady Cougars also held a 43-38 advantage in rebounds.

“Amanda (right) came up big tonight offensively, defensively, and on the glass,” said Gregory. “She was very unselfish and found many open teammates for shots due to double teams. Rachel was great in transition and racked up the assists again tonight. Jessica came off the bench and played a big role for us. Defensively, she locked down whomever she was guarding. She nailed some free throws and hit a couple of big treys for us tonight. Lauren also stepped it up and made some great plays for our team.”

The Lady Oaks had all five starters in double figures led by Kristi McVey with 16 points and eight rebounds. Karissa Walter added 15 points, while Oxley finished with 13 points. Sutton just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Chelsea Miller contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Oakland City only shot 38.5 percent from the field (25-for-65), 33.3 percent from three-point range (4-for-12), and 84.2 percent from the free throw line (16-for-19).

With the victory, MVNU advances to the semifinals of the tournament to face No. 6 seed Mid-America Christian (Okla.) University, who upset No. 3 Nyack (N.Y.) College 71-55 in other first round action. Mid-America Christian was led by Karina Trindade, who posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Danien Wells also added 13 points. The Lady Cougars’ semifinal game will take place on Friday at 5:00 p.m. Josh Wood will be calling all the action live on WNZR 90.9 FM and through the internet at http://wnzr.fm/sports.html.

“We are happy to be in the semifinals, but there is still plenty of work to be done,” said Gregory.

In other first round action on Thursday, No. 1 seed Emmanuel (Ga.) University squeaked by No. 8 seed and host Grace 60-57 with the Lady Lancers missing a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the score. No. 5 seed Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) University also posted a 55-48 lead over Trinity International (Ill.) University. Palm Beach Atlantic and Emmanuel will square off at 7:00 p.m. in the other semifinal on Thursday night.