The Lakeland women's basketball team opened the second half of their season by traveling to Lorain County to face the Commodores in OCCAC action tonight. It was a tough start for the Lakers as they struggled from the field and trailed 11-1 after the first quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the Lakers used strong defensive pressure to speed the game up. This pressure created turnovers by the Commodores which then ignited the Lakers offense.  Lakeland came all the way back and outscored the Commodores 26-5 in the second quarter to take a 27-16 lead into the break. In the 3rd quarter, the Lakers continued their strong effort as they won the quarter 19-7. From there, Lakeland coasted to the victory with a final score of 66-41. With the win, the Lakers improve to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Lakeland's Kanija Kimbrough finished her evening with a double-double as she scored 21 points and collected 16 rebounds. Monetta Hilory had a strong game finishing with 19 points and 8 rebounds while Kennedy Coleman hit four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points while also recording 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Joh'niqua Clay had a solid night scoring 11 points and adding 4 rebounds. Raegan Perkins-Hirz had a team high 9 rebounds while Gabriella Moore finished with 3 points and 4 rebounds. Emerson Hren chipped in 4 rebounds and 2 assists while Arianna Vera finished with 3 steals in the Lakers win.

Coach Smith's Chatter: "First game back from break is always an adjustment. We struggled to make some shots early. We were able to add some defensive pressure which helped create some turnovers and kickstart our offense. Overall a good game - good conference win. We'll use the next couple of days now to get ready for Clark."

Next Up: The Lakers will head to Springfield, Ohio on Saturday (1/10) to play the Clark State Eagles in OCCAC action. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm.