Strong First Half Propels Lady Cougars to MCC Road Win


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Strong First Half Propels Lady Cougars to MCC Road Win written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore GOSHEN, Ind. (2-8-2012) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team used a 29-6 run at the end of the first half to take control of the game as the Lady Cougars posted a 66-47 Mid-Central College Conference victory at Goshen (Ind.) College on Wednesday night in Gunden Gymnasium for the team's first regular-season conference road win in exactly a year. The host Maple Leafs (3-24, 0-15 MCC), who were looking to snap a 13-game losing skid, got out of the gate well as Goshen led 7-2 after the first three minutes of action as Kari Heusinkveld scored five of the early points. However, MVNU (13-12, 5-10 MCC) responded by going on a 29-6 run the rest of the half as the Lady Cougars built a commanding 31-13 advantage by the time the teams went to their locker rooms at the break. Senior guard Sierra Fletcher led a balanced attack that saw eight players score at least two points or more with seven first-half points for MVNU. Junior forward Emily Steveley added five points, and sophomore post Amy Daniels *(left)*, junior guard Melissa Eickholt, and junior post Courtney Swart each contributed four points, while senior guard Ashley Jessie grabbed a team-high five rebounds. The Lady Cougars shot 45.2 percent from the field (14-for-31), 33.3 percent from 3-point range (2-for-6), and nailed the team's only free throw attempt. Heusinkveld led the Maple Leafs with the five points she scored in the first three minutes of action, and Jaime Stack and Sierria Burlage each grabbed five rebounds. Goshen shot just 20.8 percent from the field (5-for-24), 25 percent from 3-point range (1-for-4), and 50 percent at the free throw line (2-for-4). The Maple Leafs also turned the ball over 13 times to just eight miscues by the Lady Cougars. MVNU's lead grew to as much as 38-17 just two and a half minutes into the second half after a basket by senior post Whitney Levering. However, the Maple Leafs began to chip away at the lead as they used a 22-12 run to close the gap to 50-39 with 5:30 still remaining in the contest after back-to-back 3-pointers by Heusinkveld. The Lady Cougars responded, though, by going on a 16-5 run to push their lead back up to 66-44 with 34 seconds to go, and MVNU went on to post the 66-47 victory to cap off the team's first conference road win since February 8, 2011 when the Lady Cougars posted an 83-64 victory at Notre Dame College in what would be the final regular-season American Mideast Conference game. Daniels led MVNU with 12 points, while Fletcher and senior forward Alexis Harkins each tossed in 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Eickholt and Levering contributed nine and eight points respectively with Eickholt leading the team with six rebounds. The Lady Cougars shot 48.1 percent from the field (25-for-52), 35.7 percent from 3-point range (5-for-14), and 78.6 percent from the free throw line (11-for-14). Stack and Burlage each scored 12 points to pace Goshen with Stack grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and Burlage added eight boards. Heusinkveld also tossed in 11 points, and Kaylee Hilliker scored nine points. The Maple Leafs' bench was outscored 23-3 in the game and Goshen committed 24 turnovers. "Something in this game had to give," said MVNU coach Jason Foster. "Both teams were looking for first. For us, it was our first conference road win. For them, it was their first conference win. Our girls were ready to get that first Indiana win. We played a good floor game and we were very prepared for them. Last time, they used a box-and-one defense on Sierra and they started the game that way tonight. This time, though, our kids were ready and executed our adjustments. We were able to keep Sierra and everyone on the court involved for the entire game. Our defense also played very solid tonight. We really got after them in the first half, and we were able to continue that solid play into the second half." "As we go into these final three games, we need to continue to work," Foster continued. "These three games can really help set the tone for a potential playoff run, and the three teams we play all believe the same thing. These last three games could be really good." MVNU will return to action on Saturday with the first of three straight home games to close out the regular season when NAIA Division II No. 25 Marian (Ind.) University comes to the Physical Education Center for a 1 p.m. MCC contest.

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