Lady Cougars Pull away for 89-65 AMC Win over Wilberforce


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Pull away for 89-65 AMC Win over Wilberforce written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (1-5-2010) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team used a well-balanced attack to pull away from Wilberforce University in the second half to post an 89-65 American Mideast Conference victory on Tuesday night in the Physical Education Center. There were three ties and four lead changes over the first seven minutes as the visiting Lady Bulldogs (2-9, 0-4 AMC) held a 15-14 lead by the 13:08 mark of the first half. Then, MVNU (8-2, 2-1 AMC) went on a 14-0 run over the next seven minutes to take a 28-15 advantage with 6:06 remaining before the break. Junior post Amanda Himes led the surge with five points, while sophomore wing Alexis Harkins (left), sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher, and junior wing Kelli Pollock each added three points apiece. With the Lady Cougars holding a 32-20 cushion with just under five minutes left in the half, Wilberforce used a 10-4 run to close the gap to 36-30 before a pair of baskets by Fletcher extended the lead back out to 40-30 as the teams went to the locker rooms at the break. Himes led MVNU with 14 points in the first half, while Harkins added 10 points and eight rebounds. Fletcher also tossed in nine points for the Lady Cougars, who shot 34.1 percent from the field (14-for-41), 17.6 percent from three-point range (3-for-17), and 69.2 percent from the free throw line (9-for-13). MVNU also held a 28-24 rebounding advantage in the first half. Keeahna Fontes paced the Lady Bulldogs with nine points and five rebounds in the first half, while Dai’Tiara Brown added seven points. Wilberforce shot 33.3 percent from the field (12-for-36), 26.7 percent from three-point range (4-for-15), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (2-for-3). The Lady Cougars wasted little time in putting the game away as MVNU started the second half by scoring the first 17 points on the way to a 24-3 run that pushed the lead up to 64-33 with 13:06 left in the contest. Himes led the way with eight points, while Fletcher nailed a pair of treys. Harkins and freshman guard Melissa Eickholt also hit a three-pointer apiece. The Lady Bulldogs used a 18-5 run of their own to close the cap to 69-51 with 7:20 to play, but the Lady Cougars responded with 11 straight points to push the margin back out to 80-51 with 5:22 to go as Harkins scored five points and Fletcher added four points. From there, MVNU held at least a 21-point lead the rest of the way as the Lady Cougars cruised to a convincing 89-65 victory after a 16-day break between games. "Coming off a lay-off, you don’t know what to expect,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "We came out of the gate slowly and shot the ball poorly overall in the first 20 minutes. The second half was a much different story as we quickly built a big lead behind strong perimeter shooting and good, fundamental post play.” "I was pleased with the overall effort and now we need to focus time on getting better in both our half-court offense and defense,” Gregory continued. "We gave up a lot of penetration on the defensive end, and we didn’t give enough help in the seams at times. We also could have taken several charges and didn’t. Offensively, our perimeter players must do a better job of moving without the ball, communicating, and adjusting cuts based on what the defense is doing.” Himes finished with game highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Harkins also posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Fletcher contributed 19 points, a career-high seven assists, six rebounds, and four steals, and junior guard Lauren Johnson tallied eight points. MVNU shot 42.1 percent from the field (32-for-76), 25 percent from three-point range (8-for-32), and 77.3 percent from the free throw line (17-for-22). The Lady Cougars held a commanding 53-44 rebounding advantage and forced 18 turnovers in the game. "Amanda gave us very strong minutes in the post,” said Gregory. "She made her free throws, was big on the glass, and chipped in some assists, blocks, and steals. Alexis played big for us tonight. She was strong on the offensive glass and got a couple of hard-earned stick backs. Sierra also scored when she needed to, but also was big in the dish department setting teammates up for scores.” Brown and Andrecia Smith both finished with 17 points apiece to lead Wilberforce, while Fontes added 11 points and seven rebounds. The Lady Bulldogs shot 29.9 percent from the field (23-for-77), 29.2 percent from three-point range (7-for-24), and 75 percent from the free throw line (12-for-16). MVNU will be right back in action on Thursday when the Lady Cougars travel to the University of Northwestern Ohio for another AMC game that will tip off at 5:00 p.m.

Site Map