Lady Cougars Roar Past Ursuline 90-51 in AMC Action


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Roar Past Ursuline 90-51 in AMC Action written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore PEPPER PIKE, Ohio (1-16-2010) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team used a big advantage in points in the paint and on the glass as the Lady Cougars took control of the game on the way to posting a 90-51 American Mideast Conference victory at Ursuline College on Saturday afternoon. MVNU (10-4, 3-3 AMC) began the game with a 20-3 run over the first seven minutes including 16 straight points as junior post Amanda Himes (left) led the way with nine points and sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher added seven points. After the Lady Arrows (4-15, 0-8 AMC) cut the lead to 22-13 at the 9:30 mark, the Lady Cougars closed the half on a 24-10 run to take a 46-23 lead at the break as Fletcher scored nine points down the stretch to lead the way. Fletcher paced MVNU with 16 points in the first half, while Himes added 15 points and eight rebounds. The Lady Cougars shot 40.5 percent from the field (17-for-42), 15.4 percent from three-point range (2-for-13), and 62.5 percent from the free throw line (10-for-16). "We did an outstanding job of crashing the glass and getting extra chances in the first half,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "We didn’t shoot particularly well, but because we pursued our misses and got plenty of stickbacks. Amanda had five offensive rebounds in the first half alone. Sierra put a lot of heat on their point guards in full-court situations and forced turnovers that led directly to fastbreak points. We posted a 30-0 advantage in points in the paint in the first half, and that’s a very telling stat.” Laura Campbell led Ursuline with 13 points in the first half, while Brittany Nair added six points. The Lady Arrows shot just 23.3 percent from the field (7-for-30), 29.4 percent from three-point range (5-for-17), and made all four of their free throws. Ursuline committed 13 first-half turnovers and was out-rebounded 34-19 including 15-4 on the offensive glass. MVNU continued to play well in the second half as the Lady Cougars scored the first nine points of the second half and Ursuline never got closer than 29 points the rest of the way. MVNU took its biggest lead of the game with 2:25 left when a layup by freshman guard Jessi Drayer made it 90-45. The Lady Arrows scored the final six points of the game, but the Lady Cougars prevailed 90-51. Himes led MVNU with a career-high tying 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Fletcher added 18 points, six rebounds, six steals, and five assists as she also went 9-for-9 at the free throw line. Drayer came off the bench with a career-high eight points to fuel a 31-7 advantage by the Lady Cougars in bench scoring. MVNU shot 47.2 percent from the field (34-for-72), 21.7 percent from beyond the arc (5-for-23), and 63 percent from the free throw line (17-for-27). The Lady Cougars also had a 56-6 advantage in points in the paint, a 54-38 rebounding margin, and forced 29 turnovers. "Our kids played hard on the defensive end of the floor and made a lot of plays,” Gregory said. "Their intensity was great and from the moment the game began we knew it was going to be a good afternoon for us. We forced 29 turnovers and picked up 18 steals, and tonight we converted those steals into points which is encouraging.” "Amanda and Sierra were the catalysts offensively for us today,” Gregory added. "Amanda was unstoppable on the low block. (Ursuline) was forced to double team here and our other players made plays when they did the double team. Sierra was great all around with points, rebounds, loose balls, assists, and steals. Our little sparkplug made numerous plays in the full court and her pressure in the half court was key to our performance tonight. (Junior forward) Kellie (Jokela) and (junior guard) Lauren (Johnson) play so hard and do things that don’t get noticed in the scorebook. Lauren is a playmaker on defense, while Kellie does everything well - nothing spectacular but everything well.” "Our bench lent plenty of support tonight as well,” Gregory continued. "We had a lot of different people get involved and make plays for us tonight. It’s fun when you go on the road, play hard, and earn a win. It was awesome how many supporters came out today. We really felt like this was a home game for us in many respects.” Campbell finished with 16 points to lead Ursuline, while Nair added 14 points. Callie Brutcher also grabbed 14 rebounds to go with six points. The Lady Arrows shot 24.1 percent from the field (14-for-58), 32 percent from three-point range (8-for-25), and 88.2 percent from the free throw line (15-for-17). MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Lady Cougars will host Cedarville University in an important AMC game that will tip off at 5:30 p.m. in the Physical Education Center.

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