Lakers Dominate, Secure First CCAC Win Of Year

WHITING, Ind. – Once the Roosevelt Lakers scored their first points, they never looked back to take down Calumet St. Joseph 94-53 Wednesday night in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The victory was the first for head coach Deon Thomas with the Lakers.

The Crimson Wave took an early 2-0 lead in the game and held the Lakers (1-1, 1-0 CCAC) off the scoreboard for the first three minutes of the game. Jayla Turchin nailed a pair of free throws to put Roosevelt on the board and a minute later Meghan Urbanski hit the first of her six 3-pointers in the game. The Lakers never trailed again, especially after dumping in 10 points in the final two minutes of the quarter to take a 19-10 lead after 10 minutes.

Although the long stretches without scoring became a familiar refrain for Roosevelt, it stepped up defensively to lock down on Calumet St. Joseph. The Crimson Wave shot less than 35 percent from the field and managed just seven assists on their 22 made shots. The Lakers shot just 39.6 percent in the game, but made 11 of 25 3-point attempts to truly pull away.

Roosevelt also won the rebounding battle 56-37 to help it win each of the final three quarters by at least 10 points. The Lakers flexed that dominance by scoring 17 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds. In addition, Roosevelt assisted on 28 of its 36 made shots, led by a season-best eight assists for freshman Taylor Treat and a career-high seven from senior Erionna Moore.

Turchin led the way for the Lakers on the glass with 10 rebounds, helping her secure her first double-double at Roosevelt when combined with her 18 points. Urbanski made 6 of 9 from long range en route to a career-best 26 points. Amelia McNutt added 20 points on 4 of 9 from 3-point range, matching her career high in 3-pointers made. Treat was the fourth Lakers player to reach double digits, doing so for the second time in two career games against NAIA foes with 11 points.

After a week to practice, the Lakers will return to game action next Wednesday for the home opener at 5:30 p.m. against Indiana University Northwest at the Goodman Center.