The Misericordia University women's basketball team fell to Lebanon Valley, 64-40, in their MAC Freedom matchup inside Sorrentino Gymnasium, Monday night.
 
Ava Cirigliano led the Cougars with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jocelyn Grosch followed with 11 points and a team-high three steals.
 
After grabbing an offensive board, Grosch got the ball back behind the arc and knocked down a three-pointer to give MU an early 3-0 lead. 
 
Cirigliano accounted for the Cougars' next four points via a layup and jumper as Misericordia led 7-2 with 6:43 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Lebanon Valley went on a 14-4 run to end the first frame with a 16-11 lead.
 
The Dutchmen continued their offensive surge in the early stages of the second quarter, expanding their lead to 10. Grosch stopped the bleeding by drawing a foul and hitting both free throws
 
Morgan Janeski got on the scoresheet with a layup at 7:02 that cut Lebanon Valley's lead to eight. One defensive possession later, Grosch snagged a steal and took the ball to the hoop, finishing at the rim with a fastbreak layup.
 
MU continued to battle throughout the remainder of the half, but the Dutchmen maintained an 11 point lead heading into halftime.
 
Both teams traded buckets in the opening minutes of the third quarter. After Captoni blocked a shot and recorded the defensive rebound, Cirigliano capitalized on the switch in possession with another layup to bring Misericordia within nine points of tying the game.
 
LVC picked up the pace offensively, rattling off eight unanswered points, to take a 46-29 lead with 2:27 to go in the third.
 
The Dutchmen's offense continued to flourish in the fourth quarter as they took their largest lead of the evening, 64-36, with 3:18 remaining in regulation.