Lady Cougars Rally Past No. 25 Marian 62-59 in MCC Action


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Rally Past No. 25 Marian 62-59 in MCC Action written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (2-11-2012) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to knock off NAIA Division II No. 25 Marian (Ind.) University 62-59 as the Lady Cougars posted their school-record third win of the year over a Top 25 team in Mid-Central College Conference action in the Physical Education Center on Saturday afternoon. The visiting Lady Knights (17-8, 9-7 MCC) got off to a good start in the game as Marian built an 18-5 lead over the first 10 minutes of action as MVNU struggled from the field by going just 1-for-13 out of the gate. The Lady Cougars (14-12, 6-10 MCC) finally began to get things going and were able to close the gap to 20-16 after a jumper by sophomore post Amy Daniels with 5:43 left in the half, but the Lady Knights closed the half on a 8-3 run to take a 28-19 advantage to the locker room at the break. Senior forward Alexis Harkins led MVNU with six points and four rebounds in the first half, while senior guard Sierra Fletcher *(left)* and junior guard Ashley Jessie both hit a 3-pointer. The Lady Cougars shot just 21.9 percent from the field (7-for-31), 28.6 percent from 3-point range (2-for-7), and 75 percent from the free throw line (3-for-4). Emily Smithson led Marian with nine first-half points, while Faith Reece added five points. The Lady Knights shot 40.6 percent from the field (13-for-32), 22.2 percent from 3-point range (2-for-9), and missed both of their free throw attempts. Marian's lead grew to as much as 37-21 just three and a half minutes into the second half as the Lady Knights started the final period on a 9-2 run fueled by a pair of treys by Natasha Marshall. MVNU was able to close the gap to 41-35 on a 3-pointer by junior guard Rachel Peelman just ahead of the shot clock buzzer with 10:55 to go, but Marian pushed the lead back out to 48-35 by the 8:30 mark when Adrienne Sahm nailed a trey of her own. Down 54-43 with 5:44 to go, the Lady Cougars began to make their comeback. Junior guard Melissa Eickholt hit a pair of free throws, Fletcher drained a pair of 3-pointers, and Harkins added a trey of her own to knot the score at 54-54 with 3:32 to go. A 3-pointer by Sahm put the Lady Knights back on top 57-54 on the next possession, but senior post Whitney Levering made a basket and then Eickholt drilled a 3-pointer with 1:54 to go to give MVNU its first lead of the game 59-57. Sahm missed a trey on Marian's next possession and Fletcher nailed two free throw attempts to put the Lady Cougars on top 61-57 with 1:25 remaining. A jumper by Sahm made it 61-59 with 1:01 left. Then, MVNU committed a turnover with 36 seconds to go to give the Lady Knights a chance to tie the game or send it to overtime. However, Fletcher came up with a steal with 13.3 seconds remaining and hit one of two free throws to push the Lady Cougars lead back up to 62-59. Needing a 3-pointer to force overtime, Marian was able to get a shot off ahead of the buzzer, but Natalie Robinson's trey from the corner by the Lady Knights' bench glanced off the top of the backboard and MVNU had completed the comeback victory. Fletcher finished with a game-high 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals to lead the Lady Cougars. Eickholt *(right)* added 14 points off the bench, and Harkins finished with 11 points. Levering also contributed eight points and six rebounds. MVNU shot 35.6 percent from the field for the game (21-for-59), but 51.9 percent in the second half (14-for-27). The Lady Cougars also heated up from 3-point range in the second half (7-for-9) to finish at 56.3 percent for the game (9-for-16). As a team, they went 11-for-13 at the charity stripe (84.6 percent) and forced 20 turnovers. Smithson finished with 15 points to lead Marian, while Sahm tossed in 10 points off the bench. The Lady Knights shot 42.6 percent from the field (23-for-54), 28.6 percent from 3-point range (6-for-21), and 63.6 percent from the free throw line (7-for-11). "This was a great game for our kids," said MVNU coach Jason Foster, who becomes the program's first coach to lead a team to three wins over Top 25 teams in the same season. "They continued to battle and compete even when things did not look good for us. They continued to play a physical defense, did a better job of attacking on the offensive end, and in the second half really worked to set each other up for great offensive opportunities." "(Marian) is a very strong team and they really do a good job of executing on the offensive side of the ball," Foster continued. "Our girls really made a strong effort in this game to really try to limit the good looks that they got on the offensive end. In the second half, we really committed to work the offense for the best shot possible. I think the telling stat is that in the second half we made 14 field goals with nine assists. That really says to me that we were committed to getting a good shot for each other. We have to more games, and I think we are starting to become the team no one wants to play." MVNU will return to action on Wednesday when the Lady Cougars will host Spring Arbor (Mich.) University in another MCC contest. A victory for MVNU would clinch a berth in the upcoming eight-team MCC Tournament.

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