The Lady Cougars Basketball team is looking to start stronger and continue off the momentum they had last year.

      Head Coach Amanda Short, who is heading into her third season, wants to “take advantage of non-conference games” played early in the season to get ready for the Crossroads League play that will dominate the schedule in January and February.

      Last year’s Lady Cougars struggled early in the season before a mid-season turnaround that saw them win five of their last seven conference games.

      This year’s team has stronger offensive capabilities than previous years, which Short contributes to key players like Sierra Basista, Natalie Carpenter, Taylor Gregory and Elizabeth Fee.

      Basista and Carpenter “are both good defenders and strong shooters,” Short said. The two senior guards both are approaching a career milestone of 1,000 points. 

      Freshman Taylor Gregory also is “a strong threat offensively,” Sho...

          As their final season comes to a close, two Lady Cougars reflect on their time at MVNU.

         Seniors Megan Beidelman and Natalie Thomas dedicated four years to the women’s basketball team.

         “Every coach dreams of having two seniors with the leadership of Meg and Nat,” Head Coach Amanda Short said. “ They both have great work ethic, they lead by example and they do what it takes to make the team better. They bring an energy to the court that is contagious.”

         Looking back, the two seniors are thankful for the many memories and “sisters” they gained while in the program.

         “The team has meant a lot to me and I think the main thing is family,” said Thomas. “I have made some of my best friends on this team.”

         Beidelman echoed her sentiments adding that the team “helped me realize the value of friendship.”

         The two seniors expe...

          The MVNU women's basketball team finished the 2016-17 campaign 12-17 overall and 6-11 in the Crossroads League.

          Looking back on the season, Head Coach Amanda Short sees a positive shift in her team that propelled them through the second half of the season.

          After starting the first half 5-8, the Lady Cougars travelled to Phoenix, Arizona, to compete in the Arizona Christian University Classic.

          Short described the Cougars’ trip to Phoenix as the “turning point of the season.”

          The ladies beat Mount Marty, the same team that fell to Marian University in the Final Four last season, 68-45. They also defeated Benedictine at Mesa 77-29.

          The Lady Cougars returned with a renewed energy on and off the court.

          Short recognizes that there were a few games after Phoenix “where we didn't play to...

          The MVNU women’s basketball team (11-17, 5-11) faces two pivotal games in the last week of the 2016-17 season.

          The Lady Cougars sit in ninth place out of 10 teams in the Crossroads League standings. Only the top 8 teams qualify for tournament play.

          To earn a seed in the playoffs, the Lady Cougars would need to win both games this week, and the seventh-place Bethel Lady Pilots would need to lose both of their games. This would put MVNU and Bethel in a tie for eighth place.

          The Lady Cougars split last week’s games, defeating Goshen 63-47, then falling at Bethel 77-64.

          After trailing by seven points in the Goshen game, the Lady Cougars took the lead with an 8-0 run in the last four minutes of the first quarter. The teams played close in the second quarter, but the Lady Cougars controlled th...

            MVNU collected $3,500 at the Crossroads League’s Destiny Rescue event in January.

            Destiny Rescue is a non-profit Christian organization dedicated to helping children who are enslaved in human trafficking.

            The MVNU women’s basketball team, along with the 10 other teams in the Crossroads League, participated in the awareness and fundraising event.

            The goal was to raise $1,500 at each school, enough to rescue one child each. MVNU brought in more than twice that amount, more than enough to rescue two girls.

            “The event went really well,” said MVNU women’s basketball Head Coach Amanda Short. “We had great support from our fans.”

            League-wide, the fans gave over $23,000, and money i...

           The MVNU women’s basketball team (10-16, 4-10) added a win and a loss last week, falling to Spring Arbor University in overtime on Wednesday and beating Taylor University on Saturday.

            Wednesday evening the score was tied with 0:54 remaining in regulation.

            MVNU freshman Dani Ellerbrock drew a foul and made one of her two free throws, putting MVNU up 55-54 with 0:50 on the clock.

            Senior Megan Beidelman drew a foul for MVNU and made both of her free throws at the 0:29 mark.

            Junior Autumn Goggin tied it up with a three-pointer for Spring Arbor with 0:24 left,...

           The MVNU women’s basketball team (9-15, 3-9) picked up two consecutive Crossroads League victories last week for the first time since 2014.

            Wednesday night, the Lady Cougars rolled past (RV) Grace College 64-54, even with senior Megan Beidelman playing only about half the game. Returning from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury, Beidelman recorded just 20 minutes with six points and six rebounds.

            “We needed people to step up,” Head Coach Amanda Short said.

           Freshman Dani Ellerbrock, junior Natalie Carpenter and junior Sierra Basista scored in double digits.

           Ellerbrock missed just two shots (8-10) on her way to 19 points. Carpenter recorded 14 and Basista tallied 13.

           On Satu...

            The Crossroads League will host a Destiny Rescue event at all athletic competitions tomorrow to help stop child trafficking.

            Destiny Rescue is an internationally recognized Christian non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children trapped in human trafficking.

            MVNU along with the nine other schools in the Crossroads

League will participate in the effort to raise awareness of human trafficking.

            Women’s basketball Head Coach Amanda Short is working with the conference to coordinate the partnership.

            “I wanted to be a part of it because these children should have a chance at the same life that my players did,” Short said. “If they are rescued, they might have that chance.”

...

          The MVNU women’s basketball team  (7-15) was handed two league losses last week, falling to Marian University and Huntington University.

         Wednesday evening the Lady Cougars fell short of Marian University 84-49. Freshman Dani Ellerbrock led the Cougars with 14 points. Junior Sierra Basista tallied 11 points in the loss.

         After scoring only four points in the first quarter, the Lady Cougars roared back with 30 points in the second quarter to pull within 13 points of Marian at halftime.

         However, the Lady Knights were too much to handle, making 52 percent of their shots and scoring 26 points off of MVNU’s 18 turnovers.

         The Lady Cougars traveled to Huntington University on Saturday for another league matchup.

         There, junior Natalie Carpenter’s career-high 27 points was not enough for the Cougars. MVNU fell to Huntington University 87-73....

           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....