MILWAUKEE – A quick hot streak from three-point range in the third quarter gave the Lakeland University women's basketball team a cushion the rest of the way in a hard-earned 73-63 win over Alverno College Tuesday night at Alverno's Reiman Gymnasium.
The Muskies clinched a sweep of the season series against the Inferno, taking both ends of the teams' home-and-home this month. Lakeland also improved to 8-5 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and is now 8-10 overall with seven regular season games to play.
The two teams were tied 38-38 early in the third quarter when the Muskies hit three consecutive three-pointers to pull ahead.
Hayley Walding (
So.-Bradenton, Fla.) hit two triples, including the go-ahead three, and
Janai' Farr (
Jr.-Racine, Wis.) also added one over a two-minute span as Lakeland took a 47-38 lead.
That brief spurt proved the difference as Alverno (3-15 overall, 3-10 NACC) never got closer than seven points until the final minute and no closer than six the rest of the way. A three-pointer by Dom Hudson pulled the Inferno within 68-62 with 49 seconds left, but Alverno scored just one more point the rest of the way.
Lakeland prevailed after trailing most of the first half after the hosts got off to a quick start. Alverno built a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes and would be ahead by nine early in the second quarter before the Muskies rallied and the game settled into a back-and-forth that left the teams tied 31-31 at halftime.
Megan Will (
Jr.-Lake Mills, Wis.) led Lakeland with 18 points and seven rebounds and was one of four to score in double figures. Farr also scored 14 points and Walding added 12 as the Muskies posted a 29-6 advantage in bench points.
Kacey Gardner (
So.-Evergreen Park, Ill.) also added 11 points and tied her career high with seven rebounds.
The Muskies shot 40.3% (25 of 62) and hit 7 of 25 from three-point range. Lakeland also made 16 of 22 free throw attempts (72.7%) and committed just seven turnovers.
Eniya Madden scored 18 points and added 12 rebounds for Alverno, which shot 48.3% in the first half and 42.9% for the game (27 of 63). The Inferno also outrebounded Lakeland 41-36 but made just 3 of 7 free throw tries.
The Muskies are back in action Thursday when they travel to face Edgewood College at 7 p.m. in Madison.
