Cougar News

Mayfield, KY - Ninth-place Mid-Continent University (2-16, 1-6 TSAC) led by five points at halftime and by as many as 11 points in the second half and held on for a 69-64 TranSouth conference victory over seventh-place Blue Mountain College (8-13, 1-6 TSAC), Thursday, Jan. 28, in Mayfield High School Sports Arena. Blue Mountain has lost three consecutive games, and Mid-Continent ended a 10-game conference losing streak dating back to Feb. 19, 2009, when the Lady Cougars also defeated Blue Mountain.

    MCU hosts eighth-place Cumberland University (7-10, 1-6 TSAC), Saturday, Jan. 30, at 2:00 p.m., in TSAC action in Mayfield High School Sports Arena, and hosts Brescia University (11-10) in Monday, Feb. 1 non-conference action at Community Christian Academy near Paducah, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

     Four Cougars scored in double figures, and the Cougars survived 28 turnovers and outrebounded Blue Mountain, 54-49. For the game, MCU shot .490 from the field (24-49), made 5 of 13 three-pointers and 16 of 22 free throws and blocked 8 shots. Sophomore forward Amanda Daugherty (Golconda, IL/Pope County HS) led the way with 11 points, a school-record 20 rebounds, 11 in the first half, 5 assists a blocked shot and a steal. Daugherty also set a school record with 18 defensive rebounds.

    Junior guard Tiffany Payton (Wadesville, IN/Mater Dei HS/Kaskaskia College, IL)totaled a game-high 19 points with 2 three-pointers, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, and 6-3 center Kandi Knupp (Iuka, MS/Tishomingo County HS/N.E. Mississippi CC) added 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocked shots. Off the bench, sophomore guard Nicki Dewitt (Louisville, KY/Atherton HS) contributed 10 points with 2 three-pointers, and junior starting forward Katie Perry (Anchorage, AK/Grace Christian School) added 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

     Blue Mountain forward Jordan McCormick led the Toppers with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, and forward Joy Pierce scored 12 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, passed 3 assists, blocked 2 shots and stole the ball twice. Off the BMC bench, guard Jessi Hayles contributed 12 points with 2 three-pointers, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Forward Katelynn Wright added 8 points and 9 rebounds. Blue Mountain shot just .217 from the field (20-92) for the game and made just 9 of 52 three-pointers (.173) and 15 of 22 free throws (.682) and turned over the ball 11 times and stole it from MCU 19 times.

     MCU trailed early 10-3 but came all the way back and led 31-26 by halftime. The Cougars extended its lead to 46-35 with 14:03 left after scoring 9 consecutive points, five by Knupp and four by Daugherty. Blue Mountain outscored MCU, 20-6, including 4 three-pointers in a span of just over five minutes, and led 57-54 with 8:03 remaining.

     MCU outscored Blue Mountain, 12-3, over the next 5 minutes and led 66-60 with 3:28 left and held on down the stretch for its second victory of the season. Blue Mountain cut the MCU advantage to 66-64 at the 1:46 mark, but Payton hit 3 free throws for MCU in the last two minutes while the Toppers went scoreless.