Outlay Sparks Lakers To Big Win Over Jaguars

CHICAGO – A career night from Marie Outlay sparked Roosevelt to a 70-52 victory over Governors State on Wednesday evening at the Goodman Center in a battle of two of the top-three teams in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The freshman from Wisconsin nearly set her season high for points just in the first quarter when she poured in 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting. Yet she brought energy on both ends of the floor, also contributing three steals in the opening 10 minutes to help the Lakers (10-9, 8-3 CCAC) to grab a nine-point lead. Outlay finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the most complete game of her young career.

After Outlay got the energy flowing, Jalyssa Carrasco and Jayla Turchin went to work doing what they do best. Carrasco became just the second player in Roosevelt history to have multiple 10-assist games in the same season with 10 helpers Wednesday. She also came two rebounds shy of a double-double, something Turchin had no problem accomplishing. The Evanston native finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds as one of four Lakers to finish in double figures in the scoring column.

Once the Lakers took the lead midway through the first quarter, they would never relinquish it against the Jaguars to close out their fifth straight victory. The closest Governors State would come in the final 30 minutes was four points, but that basket was quickly answered by a 3-pointer from Malou Savanna. The graduate transfer from Denmark made three of her five 3-point attempts and finished with 15 points.

Roosevelt took a 13-point lead to the locker room at intermission then came out with a renewed focus on defense in the second half. The Jaguars shot just 20 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes as the Lakers' lead grew to as many as 25 in the contest. The Jaguars' shooting percentage dipped under 30 percent for the game after the second-half lockdown, and as a result, Governors State never trailed by single digits once the Lakers took an 11-point lead late in the second quarter.

The Lakers now move one game behind the Jaguars in the race for second place in the conference, which has major ramifications. If the same team wins the regular season and tournament championships, the second automatic berth to the national tournament would go to the team that earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

The Lakers will try to extend their winning streak to six games Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tipoff against Calumet St. Joseph in Whiting, Ind.