No. 18 Bethel Knocks Lady Cougars out of MCC Tournament


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap No. 18 Bethel Knocks Lady Cougars out of MCC Tournament written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore MISHAWAKA, Ind. (2-21-2012) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team committed a season-high 27 turnovers and allowed a season-most 12 3-pointers as NAIA Division II No. 18 Bethel (Ind.) College posted a 73-60 victory over the Lady Cougars in Wiekamp Arena on Tuesday night in the first round of the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament. MVNU (16-13), the No. 7 seed in the eight-team tournament, got off to a good start as junior guard Ashley Jessie, junior guard Melissa Eickholt, and senior guard Sierra Fletcher *(left)* each nailed a trey to stake the Lady Cougars to an early 12-8 lead by the 12:39 mark of the first half. However, the host Lady Pilots (21-9), who are the No. 2 seed in the tournament, used a 16-3 run over the next seven minutes to build a 24-15 lead. Chrissy Hooks, Kristin Hicks, Ashlee Ort, and Laura Johnson each made a 3-pointer to fuel the surge. MVNU closed the gap to 26-24 on another trey by Fletcher with 2:28 left in the half, but Bethel closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 31-24 advantage to the locker room at the break. The second half did not start well for the Lady Cougars as the host Lady Pilots were able to extend their lead out to 42-28 with just four minutes gone by as MVNU committed three quick turnovers. The Lady Cougars pulled within 45-37 with 13:59 still to play, but a pair of 3-pointers by Hicks and a free throw by Sarah Clark pushed Bethel's lead back up to 52-37 by the 12:30 mark. MVNU chipped away at the lead again to close the gap to 54-47 with 8:09 to go on a three-point play by senior forward Alexis Harkins, but 11 unanswered points by the Lady Pilots gave them their biggest lead of the game at 65-47 with 4:56 remaining. The Lady Cougars did not give up as they pull within 69-60 with 1:46 left on a trey by junior forward Emily Steveley, but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the way as Bethel prevailed 73-60 to advance to the MCC Tournament semifinals. Fletcher finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals as she played 36 minutes. Harkins added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Steveley contributed eight points and five rebounds off the bench. Eickholt tossed in seven points, and senior post Whitney Levering tallied six points. MVNU shot just 37.5 percent from the field (21-for-56), 33.3 percent from 3-point range (7-for-21), and 73.3 percent from the free throw line (11-for-15). The Lady Cougars also committed a season-high 27 turnovers. Hicks led Bethel with 20 points as she hit four 3-pointers. Johnson added 14 points, Katy Stuppy finished with 12 points, and Ort tallied 10 points and grabbed six rebounds to round out the double figure scorers for the Lady Pilots, who posted the second-highest point total allowed by the Lady Cougars this season trailing just the 77 points scored by Grace (Ind.) College back on November 22. Bethel shot 42.1 percent from the field (24-for-57), 40 percent from 3-point range (12-for-30), and 76.5 percent from the free throw line (13-for-17). The 12 3-pointers made were the most allowed by MVNU this season after the Lady Pilots hit 11 in a previous meeting this year on January 3. "(Bethel) came out swinging tonight, and unfortunately we did not play as aggressive as they did," said MVNU coach Jason Foster. "We gave the ball away way too much, we did not really pursue the ball with all-out effort, and we played on our heels for most of the night. We had some moments where we really cut into the lead only to allow them open looks from the 3-point line. Sierra gave a great effort leading us in scoring and rebounding. I think we just settled for the jump shot tonight, and we needed to attack their zone and the rim. We just were not as aggressive as we needed to be." "I thought going into tonight we were really moving in the right direction," Foster added, referring to his team's five-game winning streak to close out the regular season. "I think that we still just need to correct a few things. We have one more chance for this season with the National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament and we'll see what we make of it." The Lady Cougars will participate in the NCCAA East Region Tournament, but details on a game date and opponent are not yet known. Information will be posted on the MVNU athletic department website (http://cougars.mvnu.edu) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/MVNU.Cougars) as soon as it becomes available.

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