Lakers Battle In Tough Loss To RedHawks

GARY, Ind. – Heart was the operative word for Roosevelt on Wednesday as it suffered a 78-71 defeat against Indiana University Northwest in Gary, Ind.

The Lakers (6-9, 4-6 CCAC) battled the RedHawks every step of the way through the first three quarters. Roosevelt didn't trail by more than five points in the first half and kept the game within seven after 30 minutes. However, Indiana Northwest was able to finally push its lead to as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter before Roosevelt staged a furious comeback to shave the deficit back into single digits.

Kencia Levasseur and Jayla Turchin tied for the team lead with 18 points each, though Turchin grabbed 11 rebounds to Levasseur's nine boards. Levasseur scored eight points in the first quarter to help the Lakers take an early lead before Turchin scored 10 points in the second to keep the RedHawks within striking distance. Levassuer then helped lead the fourth-quarter rally with eight more points as Roosevelt tried to claw back from the 19-point deficit.

Amelia McNutt shook off a quiet opening three quarters with 10 points on 4 of 4 shooting in the fourth quarter, finishing with 15 points for Roosevelt. Meghan Urbanski rounded out the Lakers foursome in double figures with 10 points. Meanwhile, Gabby Beggs celebrated her 21^st birthday Wednesday with a career-high seven assists to lead the Lakers.

The Lakers held their own despite being undersized compared to Indiana Northwest, a notable improvement from the first time these teams met in November. On Wednesday, Roosevelt held the RedHawks to fewer points in the paint and a worse shooting percentage than the first contest. Roosevelt especially excelled at running Indiana Northwest off the 3-point arc by limiting the RedHawks to just 1 of 15 from long range on Wednesday.

The tandem of Levasseur and Turchin also did its part of keeping possessions alive for the Lakers by combining to grab 12 of Roosevelt's 17 offensive rebounds in the game. The Lakers ended up tied with the RedHawks in second-chance points with both teams scoring 14, but that also helped Roosevelt only surrender 34 points in the paint while scoring 30 of its own.

Indiana Northwest began to pull away for good in the fourth quarter, slowly extending its lead until it ballooned to 19 points with 2:59 left. Yet the Lakers closed the game on an 18-7 run and even left some points on the table with a few frustrating missed in that stretch. The RedHawks connected on 11 of 18 from the floor in the fourth quarter compared to the Lakers' 11 of 26, but Roosevelt did secure six offensive rebounds to keep the pressure on Indiana Northwest until the bitter end.

The Lakers return to the Goodman Center on Saturday for the first time in more than two weeks when they face St. Ambrose at 1 p.m. in another CCAC showdown.