Lady Cougars Fall to Pilots in Conference Matchup
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team (6-18, 2-14 CL) played a conference matchup against Bethel University (18-8, 9-7 CL) on Saturday, February 14.
It was Jesus Won Day in Ariel Arena, a day that all Crossroads League schools participated in to show the impact of Christ on the lives of its student-athletes throughout the faith-based conference.
The Pilots jumped out to a 7–0 lead over the Lady Cougars in the opening minutes of the first quarter. MVNU trailed 6-12 with five minutes remaining but battled back to cut the deficit to three at 11-14. Just before the end of the quarter, Kylie Leibacher knocked down a three-pointer to narrow the gap to 17-19 heading into the second, with Bethel still in front.
Leibacher opened the second quarter with another basket to tie up the game, but Bethel quickly responded and grew a lead, going on a 10-5 run, forcing the Lady Cougars to call a timeout with 4:55 left in the half. The Pilots controlled the remainder of the quarter and took a commanding 45–28 lead into halftime.
Bethel maintained its momentum in the third quarter, extending the advantage to 63–42. The Pilots built their largest lead of the night in the fourth quarter, 28 points with 3:16 remaining, and went on to secure an 85–65 victory in conference play.
Leibacher led the Lady Cougars offensively with 16 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. Anna Swisshelm provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, going 3-of-8 from the field and 87 percent from the free-throw line. Angela Roshak added 12 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting performance.
What's Next
MVNU will travel to Goshen, Indiana for its last conference road game of the season to take on Goshen College on Wednesday, February 18 at 5:30 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.
