Lady Cougars Notch Sixth Straight with 66-52 Victory


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Notch Sixth Straight with 66-52 Victory written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (2-4-2010) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team got another double-double from junior post Amanda Himes as the Lady Cougars pulled away down the stretch for a 66-52 American Mideast Conference victory over Point Park (Pa.) University on Thursday night in the Physical Education Center to extend the team’s winning streak to six straight. The first half of the game went back and forth with five ties and six lead changes as the visiting Lady Pioneers’ 9-4 lead just over five minutes into the game proved to be the biggest lead that either team had in the first 20 minutes as Point Park (11-11, 7-7 AMC) went to the break with a 33-31 advantage. Himes (left) led MVNU (16-5, 9-4 AMC) with 14 points and six rebounds in the first half, while junior wing Kelli Pollock added seven points. The Lady Cougars shot 34.3 percent from the field (12-for-35), 8.3 percent from three-point range (1-for-12), and 75 percent at the free throw line (6-for-8). Terrica Jones paced the Lady Pioneers with nine points in the first half, while April Austin added eight points. Point Park shot 31.3 percent from the field (10-for-32), 33.3 percent from three-point range (3-for-9), and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (10-for-14). The Lady Pioneers also out-rebounded MVNU 29-19 in the first half. After Point Park took a 35-31 lead to open the second half, the Lady Cougars used a 31-11 run to build a 62-46 advantage with 4:35 left in the game. Himes led the way with 13 points to fuel the surge, and sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher added eight points. From that point on, MVNU was able to maintain at least a 12-point lead the rest of the way as the Lady Cougars prevailed 66-52 to continue their climb in the AMC standings as they moved into fifth place. The top seven teams will make the AMC Tournament. "We didn’t play our best basketball in the first 20 minutes,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "We struggled to make good on layups and transition layups. We tried to do far too much offensively rather than letting the game come to us. We got out-rebounded and they shot more free throws than us. There were not a lot of positives in my halftime message to our players other than the fact that it was only a two-point deficit for as lousy and uninspired as we were in the half.” "The second half was a little different,” Gregory continued. "We had a little more life in our legs and attitude. We made some early plays and got some easy transition baskets. It wasn’t a stellar offensive effort, but it was much improved from the first 20 minutes that we put on the floor. The bottom line is that we did enough things right and our defense held (Point Park) to just 19 points in the second half to earn us a win tonight.” Himes matched her career high for the sixth time with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds as she posted her sixth straight double-double and her eleventh of the season overall. Fletcher (right) filled out the stat sheet again with 12 points, eight assists, eight steals, and seven rebounds, and Pollock also scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Lady Cougars shot 39 percent from the field (23-for-59), 12.5 percent from three-point range (2-for-16), and 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18-for-23). "Amanda led us with 28 points - most of which came in transition and low block play,” said Gregory. "She got her jump hook going before the double-team could get there and helped us get a double-digit lead. Kelli and (freshman forward) Emily (Steveley) were big on the boards tonight, and Kelli made our only two threes on the night. Sierra, (junior guard) Lauren (Johnson), (freshman post) Courtney (Swart), and (freshman guard) Jessi (Drayer) also did a nice job defensively with Courtney making a couple of very nice blocks.” Ashley Henderson led the Lady Pioneers with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Jones finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Rachel Roddy also tossed in 10 points, and Kristen Veseleny grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Point Park shot 25.8 percent from the field (16-for-62), 17.4 percent from three-point range (4-for-23), and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (16-for-26). The Lady Pioneers also held a 46-43 rebounding advantage. MVNU will look to keep its winning streak intact when the Lady Cougars travel to Wilberforce University on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. start if the forecasted winter storm allows the AMC game to take place.

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