Third Quarter Troubles Sink Lady Cougars vs. (RV) Foresters
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team (6-15, 2-9 CL) hosted (RV) Huntington University (15-6, 7-4 CL) in a Crossroads League game at Ariel Arena on Wednesday, January 28.
Huntington jumped out to an early five-point lead within the first three minutes of the game. Kylie Leibacher scored the first points for MVNU with a three-pointer, followed by another from Lily Shepherd. Despite the early baskets, the Lady Cougars trailed for the remainder of the first quarter and entered the second down by five.
Naomi Keib opened the second quarter with a quick three-pointer to cut the deficit to two, making it 20–18 with Huntington still on top. With five minutes remaining in the half, the Lady Cougars found their offensive rhythm. Trailing 25-20, MVNU went on a 6-0 run. Angela Roshak made a layup plus a foul to tie the game. The senior then hit the free throw to give MVNU its first lead of the game. The Lady Cougars carried that momentum and began to strengthen their lead heading into halftime. At the break, MVNU held a 38-30 lead after outscoring the Foresters 23-10 in the quarter.
Huntington opened the third quarter by scoring the first six points, cutting MVNU's lead to two before eventually tying the game at 40 apiece with 6:52 left in the quarter. The Lady Cougars struggled to regain their offensive momentum, and Huntington pulled ahead, outscoring MVNU 25-9 in the third to take a 55-47 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Huntington stayed hot in the fourth, extending its lead to its largest of the game with 1:55 remaining, going up by 23. MVNU ultimately fell to the Foresters by a final score of 76-59.
Roshak led the MVNU offense with 15 points and six rebounds, shooting 6-of-14 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Shepherd added 14 points for the Lady Cougars, going 6-of-15 from the field and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, while Melodie Blubaugh chipped in 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three-point range. Huntington held the rebounding edge, 39–32 and capitalized on MVNU's 14 turnovers by scoring 22 points off those mistakes. The Foresters shot 50% from the floor and 40% (8-20) from three while MVNU shot 37.5% from the field and 33.3% (8-24) from deep.
What's Next
Lady Cougars will be traveling to Spring Arbor, Michigan to take on No. 18 Spring Arbor University on Saturday, January 31 at 1:00 p.m.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, 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.
