March 1, at University of Findlay
The second-seeded Lady Oilers built a first-half lead and hung on for a 78-62 victory in the Mid-Ohio Conference Tournament semi-finals. Findlay built a 40-26 halftime lead and expanded it to 64-41 with 7:42 remaining in the contest. MVNC used a 19-6 run to close the gap to 72-60 with 1:50 to go, but that was as close as the Lady Cougars would get. Amber Rice led MVNC with a team-high 17 points, while Shelly Aldrich added 15 points. Tara Seiter finished with 14 points, a team-high 10 rebounds, and a game-high 4 assists. Seiter, a sophomore, also moved into tenth place on the Lady Cougars' all-time scoring list with 835 career points, passing Chris Shooter (833 points). BOXSCORE
February 25, at Urbana University
In the opening round of the Mid-Ohio Conference Tournament, sixth-seeded MVNC shocked the third-seeded Lady Blue Knights 55-54. After trailing 24-7 with 6:12 remaining in the first half, the Lady Cougars closed the gap to 30-22 at halftime. However, Urbana pushed the lead back to 47-30 with 12:38 left in the game. Over the next ten and a half minutes, MVNC clawed its way back to 51-50 with 1:56 to play. After the Lady Blue Knights increased the lead to 54-50 with just over a minute left, Shelly Aldrich nailed a three-pointer to cut it to 54-53. Following an exchange of turnovers, Aldrich hit a runner in the lane with eight seconds left for the win. Tara Seiter led the Lady Cougars with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds. Amie Bibby added 16 points, while Amber Rice finished with eight points and a career-high six rebounds. BOXSCORE
February 22, at Malone College
The Lady Cougars took control in the second half as they pulled away for a 68-56 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. After playing to a 32-32 deadlock at halftime, Malone nailed a three-pointer to open the second half. However, Beth Poland answered with back-to-back jumpers and MVNC never trailed the rest of the game. Tara Seiter led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds, but the story of the game was the play of Anne Nussbaum. Making a rare start, Nussbaum scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Krystal Wright tied her career high with 12 points off the bench, while Amber Rice added nine points and a team-high four assists. BOXSCORE
February 20, URBANA UNIVERSITY
Urbana used strong defensive pressure and good shooting as the Lady Blue Knights claimed an 85-80 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. Urbana forced 27 MVNC turnovers and shot 57 percent from the field, including 61 percent in the second half, as they held on for the win. Amber Rice continued to shine as she tossed in a career-high 23 points, including an 8-of-9 performance from the charity stripe. Tara Seiter added 22 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, while Amie Bibby finished with 13 points. Krystal Wright tied her career-high with 12 points off the bench. BOXSCORE
February 15, SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY
The Lady Bears, ranked #1 in NAIA Division II, used good shooting and an overwhelming rebounding advantage to pull away in the second half for a 97-73 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. MVNC trailed 41-32 at the half and got as close as seven points in the second half, but Shawnee State shot 57 percent from the field and outrebounded the Lady Cougars 46-24 on their way to the win. Amber Rice led MVNC with 18 points and a career-high six assists. Tara Seiter added 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Shelly Aldrich finished with 14 points. The Lady Cougars were without the services of Amie Bibby, who did not play due to a concussion. BOXSCORE
February 11, at University of Rio Grande
The Lady Cougars used good shooting to post an 85-81 Mid-Ohio Conference win. MVNC shot 50 percent from the field, 63 percent from three-point land, and 77 percent from the free throw line as they notched only their second-ever win at Rio Grande. The Lady Cougars led the whole game until the Redwomen tied the score at 81-81 with 1:05 left. However, MVNC scored the final four points for the victory. Amber Rice, making the first start of her career, led the way with a career-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Tara Seiter added a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Shelly Aldrich finished with 18 points and a career-high eight assists. BOXSCORE
February 8, at Ohio Dominican College
Ohio Dominican built a big first half lead and held on for a 70-61 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. The Lady Cougars shot only 25 percent from the field as they trailed 33-18 at halftime. MVNC rallied for 43 points in the second half, but it was too late. Tara Seiter led the Lady Cougars with a game-high 25 points and 17 rebounds. Shelly Aldrich added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Amie Bibby finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Krystal Wright also recorded six points and seven rebounds as MVNC posted a 51-39 edge in rebounds. BOXSCORE
February 4, at University of Findlay
After playing a nearly flawless first half, MVNC stumbled a bit in the second half as Findlay rallied for a 68-54 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. The Lady Cougars shot 50 percent from the field and limited the Lady Oilers to 39 percent shooting on their way to a 32-24 lead. However, Findlay scored the first six points of the second half and then used a 10-2 run with just over five minutes left to pull away. Tara Seiter led the team with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Amber Rice added a career-high 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range, while Shelly Aldrich finished with 10 points. BOXSCORE
February 1, MALONE COLLEGE
The Lady Cougars rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit and held on for a 62-61 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. Malone led 33-25 at the break, but MVNC turned up the defensive pressure in the second half as the Lady Pioneers finished with 25 turnovers for the game. Malone had two chances to win the game in the final seconds, but both shots fell short. Amie Bibby led the Lady Cougars with a game-high 17 points and a school-record 10 steals, including seven in the second half. Shelly Aldrich added 14 points (all in the second half), while Krystal Wright tied her career high with 12 points. Tara Seiter finished with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. BOXSCORE
January 30, at Notre Dame College
MVNC shot a season-low 30 percent from the field (19-of-63) as Notre Dame avenged an earlier loss to the Lady Cougars by claiming a 56-51 non-conference victory. Tara Seiter scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Amie Bibby added 13 points (all in the first half), a career-high 15 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Amber Rice and Krystal Wright each finished with six points off the bench. BOXSCORE
January 28, at Cedarville College
The Lady Cougars clawed their way back from a 10-point halftime deficit with tough defense and key free throws as they posted a 68-65 overtime Mid-Ohio Conference victory. Tara Seiter hit two free throws with 26 seconds left in regulation to knot the score at 60-60. In overtime, MVNC built a six-point lead behind four points by Dawn Paulo before a desperation three-pointer by Cedarville closed the gap to the final margin. Seiter came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and grab 10 rebounds. Amie Bibby finished with 17 points, while Shelly Aldrich added 10 points. BOXSCORE
January 25, TIFFIN UNIVERSITY
Tiffin avenged an earlier one-point loss to the Lady Cougars by claiming a 64-63 Mid-Ohio Conference victory on MVNC's homecourt. The Lady Cougars nailed 10-of-22 three-point attempts (46 percent) and 17-of-21 free throw attempts (81 percent), but managed to connect on only 8-of-28 attempts inside the arc (29 percent). MVNC's leading scorer, Tara Seiter, went down with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. Shelly Aldrich led the team with a career-high 20 points, while Amie Bibby finished with 16 points and a team-high five assists. BOXSCORE
January 21, at Urbana University
Urbana used clutch free throws down the stretch to hold on for a 59-50 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. Despite committing 24 first-half turnovers, MVNC trailed only 29-21 at the break. The Lady Cougars pulled to 53-48 with just over two minutes to play, but the Blue Knights hit their free throws to put the game away. Tara Seiter led the way with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. Krystal Wright added seven points, while Amie Bibby and Amber Rice each finished with six points. BOXSCORE
January 18, WALSH UNIVERSITY
MVNC placed four players in double figures as the Lady Cougars snapped a seven-game losing skid to Walsh with a 75-65 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. Tara Seiter led the way with 23 points and a game-high 16 rebounds as MVNC posted their first win over the Lady Cavaliers since February 13, 1993. Shelly Aldrich added 13 points, while Amie Bibby and Beth Poland finished with 12 and 10 points respectively. Marlo Oyster also chipped in with nine points off the bench. BOXSCORE
January 14, at Shawnee State University
Shawnee State, the top-ranked team in the latest NAIA Division II poll, dominated the boards and used a balanced scoring attack to claim a 79-56 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. The Lady Bears outrebounded MVNC 53-39 (including 25-14 on the offensive side) and placed three players in double figures as they cruised to the win. Tara Seiter was the lone Lady Cougar to reach double figures as she scored a game-high 26 points. She also grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds. Shelly Aldrich added nine points, while Amie Bibby and Beth Poland each finished with seven points. BOXSCORE
January 11, UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE
Rio Grande used key three-pointers to pull away in the second half for a 71-59 Mid-Ohio Conference victory. With 17:43 left in the game and MVNC only trailing 32-31, the Redwomen went on an 18-6 run, spurred by four three-pointers, and never looked back. Tara Seiter led MVNC with 17 points and nine rebounds. Shelly Aldrich finished with 16 points and Amie Bibby chipped in with 11 points.
BOXSCORE
January 9, at Wilberforce University
Tara Seiter scored a career-high 33 points, one shy of the school record, but it was not enough as Wilberforce avenged an earlier loss to MVNC with a 58-50 non-conference victory. The Lady Cougars held a 48-47 lead with 4:38 left in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs outscored them 11-2 the rest of the way. Besides her 33 points, Seiter also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Shelly Aldrich finished with seven points, while Beth Poland, Amie Bibby, Jodi Brewster, Dawn Paulo, and Amber Rice finished with two points apiece. BOXSCORE
January 7, OHIO DOMINICAN COLLEGE
MVNC rebounded from its first home loss to earn a hard-fought 70-68 Mid-Ohio Conference victory over Ohio Dominican. In fact, rebounding was the key to this game as the Lady Cougars owned a 55-38 advantage in that department, coming up two rebounds shy of the school record. Tara Seiter led the way with game-highs of 18 points and 19 rebounds, the latter being a career-high and the second highest single-game total in MVNC history. Shelly Aldrich added 15 points, while Amie Bibby and Krystal Wright each finished with 11 points. Wright also added a career-high 11 rebounds. Freshman Amber Rice also recorded a career-high nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. BOXSCORE
January 4, UNIVERSITY OF FINDLAY
Findlay, ranked 18th in NAIA Division II, used a strong performance by its bench to claim a 70-53 Mid-Ohio Conference victory and hand the Lady Cougars their first home loss of the year. The Lady Oilers' bench outscored MVNC's bench 31-14 led by a 22-point, 13-rebound performance by Mianda Watts. Tara Seiter led the Lady Cougars with 14 points and six rebounds, while Shelly Aldrich finished with 10 points and four assists. Krystal Wright also added nine points off the bench. BOXSCORE
December 17, CEDARVILLE COLLEGE
Shelly Aldrich connected on 2-of-4 free throw attempts in the final 18 seconds as MVNC topped Cedarville 69-67 in a Mid-Ohio Conference game to remain undefeated at home. After trailing 59-52 with 4:30 left in the game, the Lady Cougars outscored the Yellow Jackets 17-8 the rest of the way. MVNC finished the game connecting on a season-high 52 percent of their shots from the field (27-of-52). Amie Bibby led all scorers with 22 points, while Tara Seiter finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. BOXSCORE
December 14, at Kenyon College
In the annual "Battle of Knox County", Kenyon came out on top 67-52 in the non-conference game. After falling behind 45-22 in the first half, MVNC outscored the Ladies 30-22 in the second half but it was not enough. Kenyon connected on 9-of-18 three-point attempts for the game. Amie Bibby finished with a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds, and nailed 3-of-4 shots from behind the three-point arc. Shelly Aldrich added 13 points and Tara Seiter recorded nine points. BOXSCORE
December 7, at Walsh University
Walsh used a strong first half and an advantage on the offensive boards to claim a 62-55 Mid-Ohio Conference victory over the Lady Cougars. The Lady Cavaliers built a 35-28 halftime lead and used 18 offensive rebounds for easy second chance shots. Tara Seiter and Krystal Wright each scored 12 points for MVNC with Wright snagging a team-high six rebounds.
BOXSCORE
December 3, at Tiffin University
The Lady Cougars opened the Mid-Ohio Conference season by posting a 61-60 road victory over Tiffin. Tara Seiter had four free throws in the last two minutes to keep the Lady Dragons at bay as MVNC held on for the win. Amie Bibby led the team with a game-high 16 points, while Seiter and Shelly Aldrich each added nine points. Marlo Oyster and Krystal Wright each finished with eight points as the Lady Cougars had their most well-balanced offensive attack of the season to date. BOXSCORE
November 26, at Wilmington College
Cold shooting doomed MVNC as they fell to undefeated Wilmington on the road 52-46 in a non-conference game. The Lady Cougars only managed to hit on 30 percent of their shots from the field (18-of-61). Shelly Aldrich led all scorers with 18 points, while Amie Bibby added seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The game also marked the first action for sophomore Tara Seiter, who joined the team at the conclusion of the volleyball season. She finished with six points and seven rebounds in only 18 minutes of action. BOXSCORE
November 23, WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY (WAZIE SHOOTOUT)
The Lady Cougars successfully defended their title as they won their own tournament for the second straight year with a 62-47 triumph over Wilberforce. Sophomore Beverly Peters canned four of her seven three-point attempts and finished with 16 points off the bench to lead the way for MVNC. Amie Bibby added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Krystal Wright grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Shelly Aldrich was named the tournament's MVP, while Wright joined her on the All-Tournament team. BOXSCORE
November 22, NOTRE DAME COLLEGE (WAZIE SHOOTOUT)
MVNC snapped a three-game losing skid by knocking off Notre Dame 60-46 in the opening round of the 1996 Wazie Shootout. The Lady Cougars used an aggressive defense to limit the Blue Falcons to 26 percent shooting from the field. Meanwhile, MVNC was hitting at a 45 percent clip from the field (22-of-49) and an 88 percent clip from the charity stripe (15-of-17). Shelly Aldrich led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Beth Poland added 11 points.
BOXSCORE
November 16, at Geneva (PA) College
(Geneva Invitational)
Geneva used a 48-34 advantage on the boards, including 21 offensive rebounds, combined with MVNC's 33 percent shooting from the field to claim a 57-46 victory in the second day of the Golden Tornadoes' own tournament. Junior Krystal Wright was the lone Lady Cougar in double figures with 10 points. Marlo Oyster came off the bench to score eight points and grab a team-high six rebounds, earning a place on the All-Tournament team. BOXSCORE
November 15, vs. Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College (Geneva
Invitational)
After leading 32-25 at halftime, MVNC could not find the range in the second half, while Roberts Wesleyan connected on 52 percent of their shots to rally for a 67-52 victory in the first round of the Geneva Invitational. Sophomore Marlo Oyster came off the bench to score 18 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Lady Cougars, but she was the only MVNC player to reach double figures. Freshman Anne Nussbaum added a career-high nine points off the bench. BOXSCORE
November 12, at Kentucky Christian College
Kentucky Christian, the two-time defending NCCAA Division II national champions, used a strong first half and then hung on to defeat MVNC 75-64. The Lady Knights held a 40-24 advantage at the break and built the lead to 63-30 in the opening minutes of the second half. However, the Lady Cougars did not give up as they closed the game with a 34-12 run. Freshman Amie Bibby led the way for MVNC with 21 points, four rebounds, and a game-high seven steals. Beth Poland also added 10 points for the Lady Cougars. BOXSCORE
November 8, at Trevecca Nazarene (TN) University
The Lady Cougars opened the 1996-1997 season with a victory, earning MVNC Coach Eric Ely a win in his first game as a head coach. After trailing 24-18 at halftime, the Lady Cougars used the hot hand of freshman guard Shelly Aldrich to rally for a 48-45 victory. Aldrich finished with 17 points, including 12 in the second half, and a team-high nine rebounds. Junior Beth Poland also reached double figures with 10 points for MVNC. BOXSCORE