Lady Cougars Open NCCAA Tournament with Upset Win


	Lady Cougar Basketball Game Recap Lady Cougars Open NCCAA Tournament with Upset Win written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game Boxscore WINONA LAKE, Ind. (3-14-2012) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team shook off the rust of an 11-day layoff between games and found a way to pull off a first round upset in the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament despite shooting just 28.6 percent from the field and committing 19 turnovers as the Lady Cougars knocked off No. 3 seed Bluefield (Va.) College 48-45 on Wednesday afternoon at Grace (Ind.) College. MVNU (18-13), which is the No. 6 seed in the eight-team tournament, jumped out to a 14-4 lead over the first 12 minutes of the game as senior forward Alexis Harkins *(left)* scored six points and junior forward Emily Steveley added five points including what would be the team's only 3-pointer of the game with 9:41 left before halftime. The Lady Rams (21-11) rallied to pull within one point on two occasions including 18-17, but a pair of free throws by senior guard Sierra Fletcher gave the Lady Cougars a 20-17 cushion as the teams went to their locker rooms at the break. Harkins paced MVNU with 10 first-half points, while Steveley added five points off the bench. The Lady Cougars shot just 21.4 percent from the field (6-for-28), 10 percent from 3-point range (1-for-10), and 77.8 percent from the free throw line (7-for-9). They also posted a 20-14 rebounding advantage. Kia Gilliard led Bluefield with six first-half points, while Takieya Rouse added four points. The Lady Rams shot 25 percent from the field (6-for-24), missed all five of their 3-point attempts, and went 5-for-8 from the charity stripe (62.5 percent). A basket by sophomore post Amy Daniels to start the second half extended MVNU's lead to 22-17, and the Lady Cougars still led 33-29 after a pair of free throws by Fletcher with 10:36 left in the game. However, Bluefield used an 8-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to take its first lead of the game at 37-33 with 8:07 still on the clock. Janee Simmons made two baskets during the comeback, while Rouse and Teqa McNeal each added a basket. The game went back and forth over the next five minutes with two ties and two lead changes as the Lady Rams clung to a 39-38 lead with just over three minutes to play. Then, MVNU rattled off six straight points to take a 44-39 lead with 1:26 to go as senior post Whitney Levering made a pair of baskets and Harkins added two points of her own. A 4-for-4 showing at the free throw line down the stretch by Fletcher helped seal the victory for the Lady Cougars despite a layup at the buzzer by McNeal that pulled Bluefield within 48-45 as MVNU advanced to the semifinals on Thursday. Harkins finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars, while Fletcher added 10 points with all of them coming from the free throw line where she was 10-for-14. Daniels tallied nine points and Steveley contributed seven points and eight rebounds. MVNU shot 28.6 percent from the field (16-for-56), 7.7 percent from 3-point range (1-for-13), and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (15-for-21). McNeal was the lone member of the Lady Rams to reach double figures as she finished with 11 points, while Gilliard added nine points. Bluefield shot 28.8 percent from the field (17-for-59), 13.3 percent from 3-point range (2-for-15), and 56.3 percent from the free throw line (9-for-16). The Lady Cougars will now advance to face No. 2 seed Cedarville University in the semifinals on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Lady Jackets (23-7) posted a 69-60 victory over No. 7 seed Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College in their first round game. Thursday's other semifinal will pit a pair of upset winners as No. 8 seed Colorado Christian University (16-15) will take on No. 5 seed and host Grace (19-14) at 5:15 p.m. Colorado Christian shocked No. 1 seed California Baptist University 67-56, while Grace downed No. 4 Emmanuel (Ga.) College 58-49.

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