Strong Second Half Leads To Lady Red Hawks Win

Ancilla College started the game off by hitting a three-point shot to take a quick 3-0 lead and it was an uphill battle for Lake Michigan College the entire first quarter.  The Lady Chargers shot the ball extremely well and the Lady Red Hawks missed several shooting opportunities trying to keep pace. At the end of the first 10 minutes, Lake Michigan College trailed 20-17. In the second quarter, Ancilla continued to shoot the ball well and extend their lead to 11 points (39-28) with 3:30 left before halftime. Lake Michigan continued to fight back, but each time the Lady Red Hawks tried to mount a comeback, Ancilla answered. The Lady Chargers outscored Lake Michigan 22-16 in the second quarter to take a 42-33 in halftime.  The Lady Red Hawks only shot 22% (9-40), while Ancilla shot 46% (13-28) while also hitting 50% from the three-point line (6-12).

In the third quarter, Lake Michigan turned up their defensive effort and forced several Lady Charger turnovers. A quick 8-2 run in the first four minutes cut Ancilla's led to just three points (44-41). After an Ancilla timeout, the Lady Red Hawks once again forced turnovers and missed shots and after two made two free throws, Lake Michigan took a 45-44 lead.  The Lady Red Hawks never trailed for the remainder of the third quarter and outscored the Lady Chargers 19-7 to take a 52-49 lead entering the final quarter. The start of the fourth quarter saw both teams trade baskets, but Lake Michigan extended their lead to 10 points (64-54) after going on a 12-5 run. The Lady Red Hawks never looked back and even extended their lead to 12 points in the quarter. The Lady Chargers never quit and tried to even the score, but Lake Michigan had an answer each time and finished their second half comeback by outscoring Ancilla 19-16 and the final 71-65 win. In was a tale of two halves, as Lake Michigan outscored Ancilla 38-23 in the second half while shooting 50% (13-26) and holding Ancilla to 33% (9-27).

After the game, Head Coach, Patrick Daniel stated "Really proud of how we played with great energy and effort in the second half after being down nine points at halftime. These ladies did not quit and started to play our type of basketball where defense will spark out offense.  Great third quarter and that is what we needed to win this tough conference game."

For the game, Lake Michigan shot just 33% (22-66), and Ancilla connected on 40% of their shots (22-55). The Lady Red Hawks out rebounded Ancilla 45-34 and Lake Michigan shot a season high 90% from the free line going 20-22. As a team, the Lady Red Hawks also had 19 assists, 17 steals, and forced Ancilla to commit 23 turnovers.

Three players scored in double figures for the Lady Red Hawks led by Jayla Bibbs with 18 points. Taylor Cegelis added 16 points, while Monae Palmer chipped in 15 points. Bibbs also had game highs with 13 rebounds and eight steals.  Samantha Jenkins led Lake Michigan with five assists both Bibbs and Cegelis had two blocks a piece. Lake Michigan is 16-4 overall and tied for first place in the MCCAA Western Conference with an 8-1 record.

Lake Michigan will travel on the road on Monday, February 4, 2019 when they head to Muskegon Community College. Muskegon is also 8-1 in the MCCAA Western Conference and are currently ranked #14 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Poll.  Game time for this first place battle is 5:30 PM.