Lady Cougars' Defense Leads the Way to 54-42 Victory


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars' Defense Leads the Way to 54-42 Victory written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (11-8-2011) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team made just four shots from the field in the first half and shot just 26 percent from the field overall, but the Lady Cougars used a stingy defense and good free throw shooting to post a 54-42 non-conference victory over Point Park (Pa.) University on Tuesday night in the Physical Education Center. MVNU (2-0) scored the first six points of the game and held an 8-6 lead at the 14:02 mark of the first half. However, the Lady Cougars would not score again until the 7:31 mark when senior post Whitney Levering *(left)* finally ended an 0-for-10 drought for MVNU with a basket that knotted the score at 10-10 at the visiting Lady Pioneers were held to just four points during that stretch. Point Park built a five-point lead on two occasions the last of which came with 2:37 left in the half and the Lady Pioneers holding a 17-12 advantage. With Point Park still leading 19-15 with 48 seconds remaining before the break, Levering nailed a jumper and senior forward Alexis Harkins went 2-for-2 at the free throw line to send the Lady Cougars to the locker room knotted at 19-19. Harkins and Levering both had six points to lead MVNU at the half. The Lady Cougars shot just 14.3 percent from the field (4-for-28) and missed all eight of their 3-point attempts. However, the charity stripe kept MVNU in the game as the Lady Cougars went 11-for-12 at the free throw line (91.7 percent). April Austin paced the Lady Pioneers with eight points and nine rebounds. Point Park shot 25.9 percent from the field (7-for-27), missed both of its 3-point shots, and went 5-for-10 at the free throw line (50 percent). MVNU finally regained the lead five and a half minutes into the second half when Harkins nailed the team's first 3-pointer to put the Lady Cougars on top 26-25 with 14:36 to go. She added a pair of free throws at the 13:56 mark, and then a four-point play by junior forward Emily Steveley with 13:14 to go extended MVNU's lead to 32-25. The Lady Cougars' led by eight points on two occasions, but Point Park kept chipping away and pulled within 39-36 on a trey by Austin with 8:34 still to play. However, a 9-2 run by MVNU increased the lead back to 48-38 with 3:50 left, and the Lady Cougars went 4-for-4 at the free throw line and added a jumper by junior guard Melissa Eickholt to cap off the scoring in the 54-42 victory. "I am very proud of the way the team hung in there and fought through to finish this game," said MVNU coach Jason Foster. "I feel like this game could prove to us that we can grind out a tough game and still give ourselves a chance for the win." "Our defense carried us tonight and kept us close early in the game and then helped to hold off several strong late-game runs by Point Park," Foster added. "We had some clutch stops when we needed them and that really helped to instill some offensive confidence to really attack the basket. (Point Park) did a good job of keeping us off-balance on the offensive end, which made it hard for us to find a good offensive rhythm. There are going to be nights when the offense just does not come easy, but it is nice to see that even on those nights that our defense is there and ready to work." Levering led the Lady Cougars with 14 points and six rebounds, while Harkins finished with 13 points and nine rebounds while going 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Steveley added nine points, and senior guard Sierra Fletcher tossed in seven points and recorded four steals. MVNU shot just 26 percent from the field (13-for-50) and 21.4 percent from 3-point range (3-for-14), but the Lady Cougars went 25-for-30 at the free throw line to help secure the victory. Austin led the Lady Pioneers with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Kristen Beatty chipped in with seven points. Point Park shot 30.4 percent from the field (17-for-56), 20 percent from 3-point range (2-for-10), and 42.9 percent from the free throw line (6-for-14). MVNU will return to action on Saturday when the Lady Cougars will host Wilberforce University at 1 p.m. as part of the annual Homecoming doubleheader. The MVNU men's basketball team will then host the University of Michigan-Dearborn at 3 p.m.

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