Strong Second Half Helps Lady Cougars Pull Away from Maple Leafs
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team (6-12, 2-6 CL) continued conference play at home in Ariel Arena and took on the Maple Leafs of Goshen College (3-15, 0-8) on Wednesday, January 14.
MVNU came out strong and controlled the early moments of the game. Anna Swisshelm opened the scoring with a layup in the paint and followed it with a three-pointer from beyond the arc, giving the Lady Cougars an 8–2 lead five minutes in. Angela Roshak added a layup with two minutes remaining to double the advantage, but Goshen took advantage of offensive rebounds and second chance points late in the quarter to cut the deficit to 17–11 by the end of the first.
Kylie Leibacher extended MVNU's lead early in the second quarter, turning an offensive rebound into a two-point basket to push the margin to 11. The Maple Leafs responded with a short run, forcing the Lady Cougars to call a timeout. With one minute left in the half, Goshen trimmed the lead to three, but Lily Shepherd knocked down a timely three-pointer to send MVNU into halftime ahead 32–26.
Shepherd carried the momentum into the third quarter, scoring four quick points to extend the Lady Cougars' lead to 36–26. Although Goshen cut the margin to six four minutes into the half, MVNU pulled away behind back-to-back three-pointers from Melodie Blubaugh. The Lady Cougars closed the third quarter with a 50–40 advantage.
MVNU built its largest lead of the game in the fourth quarter, going up 19 with 2:02 remaining. The Lady Cougars maintained control over the stretch to secure a 67–54 conference victory.
Despite Goshen outrebounding MVNU 44–37 and forcing slightly more turnovers (12–11), the Lady Cougars dominated the paint with 28 points and shot an efficient 46.3 percent from the field and 38.1% from three. Shepherd led MVNU with 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Swisshelm had 14 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Blubaugh had 12 points off the bench and was 4-8 from three. Roshak had 10 points, seven rebounds, and seven blocks.
What's Next
The Lady Cougars will be traveling to Upland, Indiana to take on the Trojans of Taylor University on Saturday, January 17 at 1:00 p.m.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.
