MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – A furious comeback effort by the Spring Arbor University women's basketball team came up just short as it fell 57-56 at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in the final game of the season on Saturday.
The Cougars trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, and 11 with less than five minutes to play in the second. However, SAU held the home team to just two points over the final 4:56 as it closed the gap to one with 15 seconds remaining. Mount Vernon Nazarene would make a big, last second defensive play, though, to seal the victory.
Three Cougars scored in double figures, led by Kylie Townsley with 14 points and four steals. Faith Johnson and Jessica Mabry followed with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Mount Vernon Nazarene (5-22, 2-16 Crossroads League) opened a 10-3 lead to begin the afternoon and would stretch the margin to double digits midway through the first stanza. A pair of free throws from Townsley trimmed the deficit to nine, 30-21, at the 6:36 mark, but six straight points from MVNU gave the home team its largest lead of the day.
After being outscored 41-29 through the first 20 minutes, Spring Arbor used its defense to battle back in the second half, limiting MVNU to just 16 points and 25 percent shooting (7-for-28). Despite their strong defensive play, the Cougars had trouble cutting into the MVNU lead.
Trailing by 11, 55-44, with 4:56 remaining, Lindsey Burnside scored three straight points to start a 7-0 run that Mabry would cap with a driving layup to get the Cougars within four at the 1:08 mark. Mount Vernon Nazarene hit its first field goal in over four minutes, however, on the next possession to halt the late charge. Konkel kept SAU's hopes alive, though, with a huge three-pointer on the other end.
Two free throws by Townsley made it a one point game with 15 seconds remaining, and MVNU would miss its free throw attempt with six seconds left giving the Cougars one last chance. As SAU rushed the ball up the floor, MVNU intercepted a pass as time expired to dash any hopes of a comeback.
Spring Arbor (7-22, 2-16 Crossroads League) finished shooting 30 percent (17-for-57) from the field while Mount Vernon Nazarene connected on 35 percent (22-for-63) of its attempts. The home team also held the edge in rebounding 51-36, and outscored the Cougars in the paint 30-18.
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