Fast Start Leads Lady Cougars to Fifth Straight Win 86-58


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Fast Start Leads Lady Cougars to Fifth Straight Win 86-58 written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (2-2-2010) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team scored the first 22 points of the game and never looked back as the Lady Cougars cruised to an 86-58 American Mideast Conference victory over Ursuline College in the Physical Education Center on Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to a season-high five straight games. MVNU (15-5, 8-4 AMC), which again received a vote in the latest NAIA Division II poll this week, built what is believed to be their biggest lead ever to start a game as the Lady Cougars led 22-0 by the 12:10 mark. Junior wing Kelli Pollock (left) and junior forward Kellie Jokela each scored five points apiece, and junior post Amanda Himes added four points to lead the surge. The visiting Lady Arrows (5-20, 1-13 AMC), who missed their first 11 shots and committed 10 turnovers over the first eight minutes, finally got on the scoreboard at the 11:09 mark when Chelsea Ciptak rattled in a jumper to make it 22-2 in favor of MVNU. After Pollock answered with a three-pointer on the Lady Cougars’ next possession to push the lead to 25-2, Ursuline closed the gap to 25-10 as Krysti Tietze nailed a pair of three-pointers and Laura Campbell made a jumper. However, MVNU began clicking again and went on a 24-12 run to close the half as the Lady Cougars built a comfortable 49-22 lead at the break. Himes led the way with 11 points during that span. Himes finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone, while Pollock added 12 points and seven rebounds. Jokela also chipped in with 10 points, and sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher handed out six assists to go with six steals. MVNU shot 43.9 percent from the field (18-for-41), 27.8 percent from three-point range (5-for-18), and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (8-for-13). The Lady Arrows were led by Tietze and Lauren Kotik with six points each in the first half, while Campbell grabbed six rebounds. Ursuline shot 32.1 percent from the field (9-for-28), 36.4 percent from three-point range (4-for-11), and missed both free throw attempts. The Lady Arrows also committed 16 turnovers and were out-rebounded 30-16. Ursuline began to chip away at the Lady Cougars’ lead at the start of the second half as the Lady Arrows used an 11-3 run over the first five minutes to pull within 52-33 as Brittany Nair scored six quick points and Kotik nailed a three-pointer. However, MVNU answered with a 22-11 run of its own to extend the lead back out to 77-44 with 7:16 remaining. From that point on, the Lady Cougars would lead by at least 22 points the rest of the way as MVNU cruised to the 86-58 victory. "This was a good win at home over Ursuline,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "You never know how your team will respond after winning big over the same opponent at their place just two weeks ago. I think that our team came out focused and jumped out to a big early lead. Our defense was very good and got us several easy transition opportunities.” "The only area that I’m concerned about for us right now is ending opposing teams’ runs,” said Gregory. "We seem to get stuck in a lull and take too long to get out of it. We can’t let a team go on a big run. We need to be able to respond quicker and get right back on a run of our own.” Himes (right) finished with her tenth double-double of the season to lead the Lady Cougars as she had 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Pollock posted her first career double-double with 14 points and career highs of 11 rebounds and five assists. Jokela added 14 points, and Fletcher contributed eight points, six assists, and for the second straight game a career-high nine steals. Freshman guard Melissa Eickholt and freshman post Courtney Swart also tallied eight points apiece. MVNU shot 40.8 percent from the field (31-for-76), 20.6 percent from three-point range (7-for-34), and 65.4 percent from the free throw line (17-for-26). The Lady Cougars also had a commanding 58-30 rebounding advantage and forced 25 turnovers. "Amanda was dominant inside and in transition,” said Gregory. "Our guards did a good job of finding her sprinting the floor and finishing. Kelli (Pollock) had a double-double and did an outstanding job of tracking offensive rebounds tonight. Kellie (Jokela) also stepped up and canned several shots including a pair of treys.” "It was nice to see some of our bench step up and play well like Melissa, Courtney, and (freshman guard) Jessi (Drayer),” Gregory added. "(Freshman forward) Emily (Steveley) and (freshman guard) Rachel (Peelman) gave us some good minutes and did the job defensively. Sierra struggled offensively, but she was tremendous defensively which usually sets the tone for us.” Nair finished with a game-high 21 points to lead Ursuline as she nailed three treys. Ciptak added 12 points, and Campbell finished with 12 rebounds. Kotik also hit a trio of three-pointers to finish with nine points. The Lady Arrows shot 33.9 percent from the field (19-for-56), 34.5 percent from three-point range (10-for-29), and 71.4 percent at the free throw line (10-for-14). MVNU will return to action on Thursday when the Lady Cougars will host Point Park (Pa.) University in another AMC game that will tip off at 5:30 p.m.

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