Fourth Quarter Barrage Leads Lakers Past Eagles

CHICAGO – Roosevelt put together a 14-1 run in the middle of the fourth quarter to cement its fourth straight win with a 76-63 victory over Judson on Tuesday night at the Goodman Center.

The Lakers (5-6, 4-4 CCAC) opened the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference showdown with a bang, racing to a 10-0 lead within the first 3:05 of the game. Although Roosevelt played from ahead for the entire game, the Eagles made a run in the fourth quarter to cut the Lakers' lead to just three points. That's when the shots began to fall en masse for the Lakers as they made all four of their fourth-quarter 3-pointers during the critical 14-1 stretch.

It began with a Meghan Urbanski triple in transition to put Roosevelt ahead 62-54, but less than 30 seconds later, Urbanski found herself standing alone on the wing for another 3-pointer. Judson split a pair of free throws on its next possession, but Roosevelt responded instantly with a Gabby Beggs 3-pointer. Urbanski read the entry pass beautifully for an easy steal then Jayla Turchin finished off the run with a splash of her own.

The run was part of a brilliant offensive quarter for the Lakers, who shot 10 of 15 from the field, including sinking all four of their 3-point attempts. It was also an important statement for Roosevelt after losing the third quarter 24-16 and seeing its 11-point halftime lead shrunk to a single possession. Turchin and Urbanski both scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help spur the Lakers to pull away.

Chyna Scott was the unheralded hero of the game, however, with her first career double-double while anchoring the paint for the Lakers. The senior set a career high with 12 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive end, to go along with her 10 points. She worked well in tandem with Turchin, who scored 19 points and grabbed eight boards off the bench, as Roosevelt outscored Judson 36-28 in the paint and outrebounded the Eagles 46-37.

Urbanski led the way with 21 points for the Lakers, her first time topping 20 points since the first two non-exhibition games of the season. The 19 points from Turchin were the most for her since returning from illness earlier this month. Kencia Levasseur was the fourth Lakers player in double figures, finishing with 11 points after scoring seven in the first quarter before landing awkwardly and being limited the rest of the way.

The Lakers will return after the holiday break to host Lourdes on Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Goodman Center.