Team Effort Helps Lakers Surge Past Bees

CHICAGO – Roosevelt had four players finish in double figures and all nine players scored at least two points in an 85-49 rout of St. Ambrose on Wednesday evening in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Goodman Center.

St. Ambrose had its only lead of the game at 5-4 with 7:34 left in the opening quarter, and the Lakers (6-9, 4-3 CCAC) proceeded to score nine straight points to take the lead for good. That more than five minutes between field goals was one of two large runs for Roosevelt that put the game out of reach. The second one came after the Fighting Bees cut the deficit to nine in the third quarter and the Lakers went on a 14-2 run between St. Ambrose makes that pushed the lead past 20 points for the first time.

It was the defense that led the charge for the Lakers, creating 20 takeaways that led to 26 points at the other end. Roosevelt also dominated the glass with a 41-26 edge, including 13 offensive rebounds that turned into 11 second-chance points. Both the takeaways and rebounding helped Roosevelt run in transition quickly with 23 fastbreak points while holding the Fighting Bees off the board in transition.

Jayla Turchin led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds on an efficient 8 of 14 shooting, including 4 of 5 from behind the arc. Kristen Keys scored 10 of her 13 points in the first half and Alexia Lohman equaled those 10 first-half points while finishing with 12 points of her own. Marie Outlay essentially split her 11 points between the two halves while also adding five assists and five boards.

The win over the Fighting Bees snapped an eight-game losing streak for Roosevelt against St. Ambrose, and it was a team effort. Makiah Hawk made her debut for the Lakers and played 10 minutes, adding six points of her own in the second half. Jalyssa Carrasco scored six points, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds, and Ella Pritchard bounced back from her rough patch to score nine points and secure six boards.

Roosevelt returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts St. Francis (Ill.) in another CCAC contest at the Goodman Center.