After the Lady Cougars (2-0) jumped out to an early 11-4 lead five minutes into the game behind eight points from junior center Amanda Himes (left) and a three-pointer by junior guard Lauren Johnson, the visiting Lady Eagles (2-3) used a 14-7 run to knot the score at 18-18 at the 12:16 mark.

With the score tied at 22-22, MVNU rattled off 10 straight points to take a 32-22 lead with 5:43 remaining in the half as sophomore wing Alexis Harkins and sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher each nailed a three-pointer.

The Lady Cougars’ lead grew to as much as 41-29 on a jumper by Fletcher with 1:26 left before the break before MVNU settled for a 41-31 halftime advantage.

Fletcher and Himes both had 12 points apiece in the first half, while Johnson added eight points. The Lady Cougars shot 50 percent from the field (17-for-34), 50 percent from three-point range (5-for-10), and 50 percent at the free throw line (2-for-4).

Asbury was led by Chelsea Williams and Christy Gemmell with seven points each off the bench. The Lady Eagles shot just 35.7 percent from the field in the first half (10-for-28), 30.8 percent from three-point range (4-for-13), and 77.8 percent at the free throw line (7-for-9).

MVNU quickly built its lead to 51-34 by the 16:22 mark of the second half as Himes scored the first six points for the Lady Cougars, Harkins hit a pair of free throws, and Fletcher drained a jumper.

The closest that Asbury would get the rest of the way was51-38 after a pair of free throws by Courtney Albin with 13:20 to play. From that point on, MVNU would go on to outscore the Lady Eagles 40-13 as the Lady Cougars pulled away for the convincing 91-51 victory.

"This was a great win here at home in front of a large Homecoming crowd,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "(Asbury) is a very good team that is well-coached. They played a great first half and then started to hit the wall in the second half. They shot just 24 percent from the field and committed 14 turnovers in the second half and those are telling stats, especially when you keep in mind that we shot 47 percent from the field, scored 50 points, and got to the line 25 times all in the second half.”

Himes finished with a season-high 27 points to go with nine rebounds, while Fletcher added 16 points. Johnson tallied 10 points, and Harkins contributed eight points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Freshman post Emily Steveley grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, while freshman post Courtney Swart and junior wing Kelli Pollock tossed in nine and eight points respectively. MVNU shot 48.5 percent from the field for the game (32-for-66), 40 percent from three-point range (8-for-20), and 65.5 percent from the free throw line (19-for-29). The Lady Cougars also out-rebounded Asbury 48-36.

"Amanda was outstanding in her usual way tonight,” said Gregory. "She also doesn’t get enough credit for her defense as it was outstanding. She did a lot of hedging and switching on guards on ball screens and did a great job of starting in front of her man.”

"Sierra was a big spark for us as well,” Gregory added. "She made some impressive plays and picked up three steals. Lauren was also important as she drained a couple of early threes for us against their zone. She just goes out and makes plays.”

"Alexis and Kelli also contributed from the three-point line as well as making plays for us at both ends of the floor,” Gregory continued. "Alexis also chipped in with seven assists and was kind of a calming influence out on the floor. It was nice to have her back. She shut down their leading scorer and held her to just eight points. Courtney and Emily also contributed in a big way off the bench.”

The Lady Eagles were led by Ellen Gray with 11 points, while Gemmell finished with 10 points. Asbury shot just 30.2 percent from the field for the game (16-for-53), 19 percent from three-point range (4-for-21), and 57.7 percent from the free throw line (15-for-26).

"This was a satisfying win against a quality opponent,” said Gregory. "We will take it and begin preparing for life on the road in Missouri on Monday.”

The Lady Cougars will be back in action next Friday when they begin play in the Stephens (Mo.) College Tournament. MVNU will square off with St. Mary (Kan.) University at 6:00 p.m. local time in the first round.