MVNU (4-1, 0-1 AMC), which received votes in the latest NAIA Division II poll, jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead as junior post Amanda Himes scored five points and sophomore guard Sierra Fletcher nailed a three-pointer.

The Lady Bears (5-1, 1-0 AMC) answered with a 20-6 run to go in front 22-14 at the 10:14 mark. Abby Ballman led the way with seven points, while Whitney Williams and Jill Cropper each nailed a three-pointer apiece.

Then, in a span of 5:05, Fletcher (left) went 5-for-5 from three-point range and Himes added seven more points as the Lady Cougars regained the lead 42-35 with 3:55 remaining in the half.

A trey by Williams with 1:43 to go before the break put Shawnee State on top 47-45, but MVNU closed the half with a jumper by sophomore forward Alexis Harkins and a three-pointer by junior wing Kelli Pollock as the Lady Cougars took a 50-47 lead to the locker room.

Fletcher pumped in 22 points in the first half alone as she went 7-for-8 from three-point range to lead MVNU. Himes also added 14 points. The Lady Cougars shot 47.4 percent from the field (18-for-38), 47.6 percent from three-point range (10-for-21), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-for-6). MVNU also held a 20-17 advantage in rebounds including 9-6 on the offensive end.

Williams and Cropper each scored 12 first-half points to pace the Lady Bears, while Mallory Albers tossed in 11 points. Shawnee State shot 51.5 percent from the field (17-for-33), 53.3 percent from three-point range (8-for-15), and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (5-for-7).

A jumper by Himes and a trey by junior guard Lauren Johnson helped the Lady Cougars extend their lead back out to 55-49 less than a minute into the second half.

However, a 25-7 surge by the Lady Bears gave Shawnee State its biggest lead of the game at 74-62 with 11:31 left in the contest. Ballman and Williams scored seven and six points respectively during the run.

MVNU closed the gap to 79-73 on a three-pointer by Johnson at the 8:15 mark, but that would prove to be as close as the Lady Cougars would get the rest of the way as the Lady Bears used a 29-18 rebounding advantage including a 12-2 edge in offensive rebounds to hold on for the 94-87 victory to extend their home winning streak to 29 straight games..

"I was extremely pleased with our team’s effort tonight,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. "They played extremely hard and came up a little short. (Shawnee State) is a very talented team and they didn’t make many errors. They are a very fundamental team and took advantage of our lack of experience on the low block in the second half while (Amanda) Himes and (Kellie) Jokela were in foul trouble.”

"We shot the ball well enough to get a win tonight, but unfortunately the turnovers in the second half that led to steals on Shawnee State’s part led directly to transition points,” Gregory added. "Couple that with giving them extra chances in the form of offensive rebounds especially in the second half.”

Fletcher finished with a career-high 34 points and six assists for the Lady Cougars as she went 8-for-13 from three-point range. Himes added 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field as she also grabbed five rebounds before fouling out, and Johnson pumped in 18 points with four three-pointers and four assists. MVNU shot 46.2 percent from the field (30-for-65), 42.4 percent from three-point range (14-for-33), and 65 percent from the free throw line (13-for-20).

"Sierra had a huge game nailing 7-of-8 treys in the first half alone,” said Gregory. "She also spotted people down the floor and totaled six assists. Amanda found herself in foul trouble in the second half, but she still managed to drop 19 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of play. She also did an outstanding job of finding open teammates when she felt pressure down low. Lauren stepped up as well as she knocked down four treys and also showed diversity in her game by driving and making a nice off-balanced jumper as well as finding open teammates for scores.”

Cropper led all five Shawnee State starters in double figures with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Ballman finished with 19 points. Williams and Albers tallied 18 points apiece with Albers grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, and Alison Meyer tossed in 15 points. The Lady Bears, who have now won 17 straight conference games, shot 44.4 percent from the field (32-for-72), 29 percent from three-point range (9-for-31), and 67.7 percent at the free throw line (21-for-31). Shawnee State also out-rebounded MVNU 46-38.

The Lady Cougars will return to action on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. when the team will host Notre Dame College in another AMC contest.

"It was good to play well on the road at Shawnee State, but there is still a hollow feeling inside because we just didn’t do quite enough to secure what would have been a big conference road win,” said Gregory. "We need to refocus our attention on the next game which will come on Saturday at home against Notre Dame.”