Lady Cougars Fall in Hard-Fought Battle with Undefeated IWU
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team (10-6, 3-4) played a hard-fought Crossroads League contest in Ariel Arena, but ultimately fell to the No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats (17-0, 7-0) by a score of 66-76 on Saturday, January 11.
The Lady Cougars came out strong, taking an early lead over the Wildcats. Teresa Maggio led the charge, hitting all three of her shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Able to come away with a series of consecutive stops on the defensive end, MVNU built a 20-10 lead. As the first quarter ended, the Wildcats had an 8-0 run to narrow the gap, but the Lady Cougars still held a 20-18 lead heading into the second quarter.
In the second period, Indiana Wesleyan picked up the defensive pressure, forcing six turnovers that helped ignite its offense. The Wildcats surged ahead, outscoring MVNU 24-12 in the period to take a 42-32 lead as both teams headed into their locker rooms at halftime.
Maggio stayed hot in the third quarter, scoring the first six points for the Lady Cougars. However, IWU's offense continued to roll. Emily Walker, who finished with 10 assists, helped her team trim the deficit to just one point after finding Maggio for another layup. The score stood at 53-54 with one minute remaining in the third. IWU closed the quarter strong however, using a 5-0 run to extend its lead to 59-53 after three.
The pace picked up in the fourth as MVNU tried its best to claw back into the game. MVNU trailed 59-65 with 5:01 remaining, but a 6-0 IWU run put the game away. MVNU fought hard against the No. 2 team in the nation but could not hand the guests their first loss of the season, falling by a score of 66-76.
Inside the Box Score
MVNU shot 47.5% from the field and 41.2% (7-17) from three.
The Wildcats shot 45.2% from the field and 36.4% (8-22) from three.
MVNU played together, dishing out 20 assists and turning the ball over just 14 times.
IWU had 11 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points.
Maggio - 25 points (10-16 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2-2 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals.
Katie Sprang - 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist.
Naomi Keib - 9 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block.
Serenitee Johnson - 7 points (3-10 FG), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.
Angela Roshak – 4 points (2-8 FG), 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal.
Walker – 2 points (1-3 FG), 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal.
What's Next
The Lady Cougars remain at home in Ariel Arena on Wednesday, January 15 and will be playing against the No. 15 Marian University Knights at 5:00 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 2,100 students from 33 states and 26 foreign countries.
