ROCKFORD, Ill. – Alexa Yost (Jr.-Menasha, Wis.) scored 12 points to lead another balanced scoring attack, Kacey Gardner (Sr.-Evergreen Park, Ill.) again came near a triple-double and the Lakeland University women's basketball team pulled away to defeat Rockford University 73-42 Saturday afternoon in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference contest.

The Muskies also held the Regents to 28.1% shooting in the game in handling business on the road and gaining a measure of revenge for a bitter loss to Rockford last year. Lakeland moved to 11-10 overall and also improved to 9-5 in the NACC with four regular season games to play.

The Muskies worked through a slow start in the early minutes to take control with a 13-0 run spanning the first and second quarters. Lakeland scored the final eight points of the first quarter on three consecutive possessions, including three-pointers by Yost and Lauren Downs (Sr.-West Bend, Wis.) sandwiched around a drive and layup by Gardner, and took a 20-15 lead after one period.

Lakeland would add the first five points of the second quarter, all coming from Mackenzie Miller (Fr.-Schoolcraft, Mich.), to take a 25-15 lead. The Regents (3-18 overall, 2-12 NACC) would creep back into the game with consecutive three-pointers by Audrina Terhune, the second cutting the Muskies' lead to 28-25 with 3:35 left in the half, but Lakeland would score the final eight points of the half to take a 36-25 lead into the break.

Rockford would hang within 10 points for the first part of the third quarter, but the Muskies would put the pedal to the medal the rest of the way to run away from the Regents. Lakeland finished the third quarter on a 12-2 run including three-pointers again by Downs and Yost and took a 55-35 lead after three periods. The Muskies would stretch it out even further in the fourth, with eight different players scoring in the last 10 minutes alone and 19 players seeing the floor in all.

Yost tied her season high scoring, making 3 of 4 shots including both three-point tries, and 4 of 5 free throws. She also added four assists. Downs scored 11 points including three three-pointers, and Gardner finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Ellie Felsinger (Sr.-Cedar Grove, Wis.) also finished with nine points and eight rebounds and Brianna Jones (Sr.-Indianapolis, Ind.) added eight points and five boards. Lakeland finished shooting 42.6% (26 of 61), including 7 of 19 from three-point range (36.8%), and finished with 23 assists on its 26 made baskets as well as just 12 turnovers.

Katie Paredes led Rockford with 16 points and Terhune added 12 points and seven rebounds. The Regents made 18 of 64 shots, including 4 of 23 from three-point distance (17.4%), and also committed 19 turnovers. Rockford was unable to duplicate its rally from almost exactly a year earlier, when the Regents trailed almost the entire way until finishing on a 14-1 run for a 60-54 victory at Lakeland.

The Muskies are on the road again for their next game Wednesday when they travel to take on Marian University at 7 p.m. in Fond du Lac.