Lady Cougars advance to 7-11 on the season

The MVNU women’s basketball team (7-11) picked up two losses last week, falling to Indiana Wesleyan University and University of Saint Francis.

On Wednesday, the Cougars fell short of IWU 64-51 after a strong showing (2-0) at the Arizona Christian University tournament.

The winter break trip included a 68-45 victory over Mount Marty College who fell to Marian University in the Final Four last season. The Lady Cougars also lodged a 77-29 victory over Benedictine University at Mesa in December.

During the Wednesday competition, junior Natalie Carpenter led the way with 20 points. Senior Megan Beidelman recorded nine points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Freshman Dani Ellerbrock dished out four assists.

Cougars Head Coach Amanda Short says the loss was the result of not closing the game out well.

“We had a couple of good looks but couldn’t finish the game,” Short said, adding that she thought her Cougars played a close game but “they took care of the ball and we didn’t.”

Short said the team needs to work on defensive rebounding. “We will really focus on rebounding in practice. We did a good job of rebounding today, but didn’t close it out well,” Short said.

The Cougars traveled to the University of Saint Francis last Saturday, falling 79-74 after trailing by 19 points in the third quarter.

Ellerbrock led the Cougars offensively, pouring in 25 points and tallying four assists. Beidelman chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds and Carpenter added 15 points.

“I thought we showed very good defensive pressure today and played well as a team,” Ellerbrock said after the loss.

As the Cougars travel to Goshen College on Wednesday, they look to improve on limiting turnovers and playing with more intensity for the full game.

“We played well in our fast-paced transitions,” said Ellerbrock. But she wants the Lady Cougars to keep up the high-tempo basketball throughout the rest of the season.

The Cougars and Maple Leafs will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.