Women's Basketball's Dominant Second Half Helps Cougars Bounce Back at LTU

(Southfield, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar women's basketball team dug themselves out of a double-digit first half deficit to earn a double-digit win on the road Saturday afternoon, as they took down the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils 71-55 in the Don Ridler Fieldhouse.

The Cougars and Blue Devils would trade baskets for the first five minutes of game action, but it would be the Blue Devils in control after the first quarter media timeout, with Cleary trailing 11-9.  Later in the quarter, Makenna Jarratt would tie the game at 16-16 after making both free throws.  The Blue Devils would then finish the quarter on a 8-0 run to head into the first intermission with a 24-16 lead.

The run would continue for LTU into the second quarter, as the Blue Devils scored on their first possession to build a double-digit lead at 26-16.  Samantha Hoelscher would make back to back layups to cut the deficit back to six points.  The back and forth action would resume, and with 6:19 to play in the half, Cleary would truly begin to chip away at the Blue Devil lead.  After Jess Andrew connected from behind the arc, the Cougars found themselves trailing by on three points with 5:00 to play in the half.  LTU would rebuild a six point advantage, but the Cougars were able to climb back into the game.  Makenna Jarratt would hit a jumper with just over a minute to play that would cut the deficit to two points, and that would be the deficit at the half, as Cleary trailed 37-35.

The third quarter saw more back and forth action.  With the score 41-39 in favor of LTU, Izzy Dugal would cut to the basket, received the pass, and made her layup after getting fouled.  She would connect the free throw to give Cleary their first lead of the game at 42-41.  The Blue Devils would retake the lead, and the game would be tied at 44-44 with 6:19 to play.  Approaching the midway point of the quarter, Jess Andrew hit a three to give the Cougars a 47-44 lead.  One possession later, Izzy Dugal made a pair of free throws, extending the Cleary lead to five points.  By the 2:30 mark of the quarter, Cleary had built a ten point lead after Jess Andrew made and converted an and-one opportunity.  LTU made a small run, cutting the Cleary lead to seven points heading into the fourth quarter, with Cleary leading 57-50.

The fourth quarter was all Cougars, as it took only 2:30 to rebuild their double-digit advantage.  The Cougar defense was stifling down the stretch, allowing only five fourth quarter points by the Blue Devils.  Cleary's offense was efficient, as they built a sixteen point lead, and went on to win 71-55.

Cleary outscored Lawrence Tech 36-20 in the second half, and 14-5 in the fourth quarter alone.

Samantha Hoelscher played another excellent game, and was one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 9 assists.  She also added 4 steals.  Jess Andrew also had 17 points to lead the Cleary offense, with 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Izzy Dugal had 16 points and 5 rebounds, while Makenna Jarratt chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.

The win brings Cleary's record back to .500 at 8-8 overall, 6-4 in the WHAC.  The Cougars will return home for their next game, when they host the Defiance College Yellow Jackets at Gannon Gymnasium.  The game is set to begin at 5:30 PM.