Lady Cougars Come up Just Short at Daemen 85-79


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Come up Just Short at Daemen 85-79 written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore AMHERST, N.Y. (1-9-2010) - In a back and forth game that featured nine ties and 13 lead changes, the Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team came up just short as the Lady Cougars fell 85-79 at Daemen (N.Y.) College in American Mideast Conference action on Saturday afternoon. MVNU (8-3, 2-2 AMC) got off to a good start in the game as the Lady Cougars built a 20-11 lead over the first six minutes of the game as sophomore wing Alexis Harkins scored eight points, junior post Amanda Himes tossed in seven points, and sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher added five points. However, a 30-16 run by the host Lady Wildcats (8-8, 4-2 AMC) to close the half gave Daemen a 41-36 lead at the break as MVNU was ice cold from the field going 5-for-27 after opening up the 20-11 lead. Himes led the Lady Cougars with 13 points in the first half, while Harkins and Fletcher both tossed in eight points apiece. MVNU shot just 29.3 percent from the field (12-for-41), 30.8 percent from three-point range (4-for-13), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (8-for-12). The Lady Cougars did force 17 turnovers by Daemen while only committing five themselves. Sarah Soroka led the Lady Wildcats with 12 first-half points, while Tara Bailey and Bridgette Burke scored 11 points apiece. Daemen shot 51.7 percent from the field (15-for-29), 44.4 percent from three-point range (4-for-9), and 87.5 percent from the free throw line (7-for-8). The Lady Wildcats also outrebounded MVNU 30-17. After Daemen’s lead grew to 46-39 four minutes into the second half, the Lady Cougars used a 17-6 run to take a 56-62 advantage with 11:37 to play as sophomore guard Gabby Fowler (left) and junior wing Kelli Pollock both came off the bench to score six points apiece to lead the comeback. With MVNU holding a slim 64-62 lead at the 7:03 mark, the Lady Wildcats went on a 17-5 run of their own to take a commanding 79-69 lead with just 2:34 remaining as three different players each nailed a three-pointer for Daemen during the run while the Lady Cougars missed five three-point attempts. MVNU did not give up, though, as seven quick points from Fletcher and a trey from Fowler pulled the Lady Cougars within 81-79 with 1:04 still left on the clock. However, the Lady Wildcats went 4-for-6 at the free throw line the rest of the way and MVNU committed two turnovers and missed its final shot as Daemen prevailed 85-79. "Like our Wilberforce game (on Tuesday), we played a slow first half where we struggled to knock down shots,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "We were very cold from the field, but we got plenty of good looks. The second half was a little better shooting half for us. It was a very entertaining half where Daemen drained some big shots down the stretch and we played the comeback role by knocking down our big shots to make it a two-point game with under a minute to go. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a shot to fall beyond that.” "We did a good job of forcing Daemen into making mistakes in the form of turnovers, but we did not capitalize by converting and scoring directly off those turnovers,” Gregory added. "For the game, we got 20 more shots than they did which is mind boggling, but we did not make enough shots when it was all said and done.” Fletcher led the Lady Cougars with 20 points and four steals, while Himes added 18 points in just 19 minutes of action before fouling out with 2:36 to go in the game. Fowler finished with a career-high 11 points and three assists off the bench, and Pollock and Harkins each tossed in 10 points apiece. Freshman post Courtney Swart also grabbed a team-high six rebounds off the bench. MVNU shot 33.8 percent from the field (27-for-80), 35.7 percent from three-point range (10-for-28), and 78.9 percent from the free throw line (15-for-19). The Lady Cougars forced 25 turnovers while committing just 11 themselves. "We had a number of different people step up and put the ball in the basket tonight,” said Gregory. "Gabby and Kelli both came off the bench and scored in double digits which provided a lift for us. The usuals also did their part in Sierra, Amanda, and Alexis with Amanda doing so despite being in foul trouble all night.” Burke led Daemen with game highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Soroka added 21 points and seven rebounds. Bailey also reached double figures with 11 points. The Lady Wildcats shot 46.7 percent from the field (28-for-60), 36.4 percent from three-point range (8-for-22), and 80.8 percent from the free throw line (21-for-26). Daemen also held a commanding 54-39 advantage in rebounds. MVNU will return to action on Tuesday night when the Lady Cougars will host Walsh University at 5:30 p.m. in a battle between two teams receiving votes in the latest NAIA Division II national poll.

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