Lady Cougars Fall 83-72 to No. 9 Shawnee State


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Fall 83-72 to No. 9 Shawnee State written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (2-19-2010) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s basketball team nailed 11 three-pointers, but it was not enough as the Lady Cougars fell 83-72 to NAIA Division II Shawnee State University on Friday evening in American Mideast Conference action in the Physical Education Center. After MVNU (18-8, 11-7 AMC) took a 6-2 lead to start the game, the visiting Lady Bears (23-5, 15-3 AMC) went on a 13-2 run to go in front 15-8 at the 12:35 mark as Mallory Albers led the way with six points and Whitney Williams drilled a three-pointer. The Lady Cougars responded with a 16-5 run of their own to go back on top 24-20 with 4:43 left in the half as freshman guard Melissa Eickholt (left), sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher, and junior forward Kellie Jokela each nailed a trey and junior post Amanda Himes added four points. Shawnee State regained the lead 28-26 as Williams hit two three-pointers and made a layup, but a jumper by Eickholt, another trey by Fletcher, and a pair of free throws by freshman post Courtney Swart gave MVNU a 33-28 lead with 31.4 seconds to go before the break. The Lady Bears ran down the shot clock and Williams launched a deep three just ahead of the shot clock buzzer that went in with 0.5 seconds left and she was fouled on the play. She made the free throw to complete the four-point play and close the gap on the Lady Cougars’ lead to 33-32 at the half. Himes and Fletcher each scored six first-half points apiece with Himes grabbing 10 rebounds. Eickholt and junior wing Kelli Pollock also added five points each. MVNU shot 36.7 percent from the field (11-for-30), 62.5 percent from three-point range (5-for-8), and 75 percent from the free throw line (6-for-8). The Lady Cougars also out-rebounded Shawnee State 24-14 but committed 13 turnovers. Williams paced the Lady Bears with 18 points in the first half as she went 5-for-8 from three-point range. Shawnee State shot 41.4 percent from the field (12-for-29), 50 percent from three-point range (5-for-10), and 60 percent at the free throw line (3-for-5). Albers and Williams both scored six quick points to start the second half for the Lady Bears as they moved back on top 48-42 with just five and a half minutes gone in the second period. A three-pointer each by Fletcher and Jokela on back-to-back possessions knotted the score at 48-48 with 13:43 to play. However, Shawnee State would answer with eight straight points as Williams and Albers each drained a trey and Abby Ballman made a jumper to give The Lady Bears a 56-48 advantage at the 11:14 mark. Eickholt pumped in eight points with a pair of threes and a jumper to help the Lady Cougars close to within 69-66 with 3:42 remaining. However, Shawnee State was able to hold on for the win as the Lady Bears went 12-for-15 at the free throw line the rest of the way with Shawnee State grabbing the rebound on two of the three missed free throw attempts as the Lady Bears prevailed 83-72. "We played well tonight and I’m very proud of the effort that the girls put forward,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory, whose team has now played four games in seven days including three against NAIA Division II Top 25 teams. "(Shawnee State) is a very good team and they made the plays down the stretch that they needed to in order to win.” "We shot the ball well from the field and from three-point range,” Gregory added. "We rebounded well and got extra chances for stick backs, and we hit our free throws. Ultimately, we made too many mental mistakes in terms of turnovers and lacking mental focus in critical times of the game like giving up two offensive rebounds on missed free throw attempts and leaving their shooters open. Credit should also go to Shawnee State as they hit plenty of tough jumpers late to keep us at bay.” Himes led the Lady Cougars with 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. She became the program’s career leader in field goals made and now has 621 to top the mark of 616 held previously by Tara Seiter. She’s also now one rebound away from tying her own single-season rebounding record of 312 set last year and four field goals made away from tying her own mark of 212 set last year. Fletcher added 14 points and a game-high eight assists, while Eickholt tossed in a career-high 13 points off the bench. Pollock also scored 12 points. MVNU shot 40 percent from the field (24-for-60), 44 percent from three-point range (11-for-25), and 81.3 percent from the free throw line (13-for-16). "Amanda played tough tonight as she battled through a lingering toe injury from our Wilberforce game on Thursday,” said Gregory. "She was a rebounding machine tonight. Sierra was our catalyst once again, hitting threes but more importantly finding open players and allowing them to make plays. Melissa and Kelli (Pollock) also stepped up and hit timely shots, which was great to see. Courtney also played aggressive inside and knocked down her free throws. She did a great job of snaring rebounds tonight as well. Kellie (Jokela) always plays hard and I appreciate her effort and intensity as well as her leadership.” Shawnee State’s dynamic duo of Albers (32 points and 10 rebounds) and Williams (29 points including eight three-pointers) combined for 61 points, while Ballman also added 11 points and five assists. The Lady Bears shot 48.3 percent from the field (28-for-58), 47.6 percent from three-point range (10-for-21), and 68 percent from the free throw line (17-for-25). MVNU will be right back in action on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. as the Lady Cougars close out the regular season with another AMC game against Malone University. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of the team’s involvement in the WBCA’s Pink Zone Initiative, which is all about raising cancer awareness.

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