PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Alexis Johnson (Jr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) scored 19 points and added eight steals and the Lakeland University women's basketball team used disruptive defense in a 70-48 victory Saturday afternoon at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium in the Muskies' Black Out Cancer game.

Johnson posted at least eight steals in a game for the third time this season and the Muskies-already among the NCAA Division III leaders in steals-piled up 25 steals as a team, more than eight more than their per-game average coming in. Lakeland won by 22 points for the second straight game and by at least 20 for the seventh time this season while also going back over the .500 mark at 9-8 overall and 6-2 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.

The Muskies led from start-to-finish and rode a fast start to the win. Lakeland raced out to a 32-10 lead after one quarter, turning turnovers into points early and often.

Johnson scored 13 points and added four steals, and the Muskies scored 19 points off turnovers including 13 points on the fast break in the period. Lakeland entered the game seventh in Division III in steals per game (16.9) and was well on its way to surpassing that total with 12 steals in the first 10 minutes.

The Muskies finished the quarter on a 10-0 run capped by three-pointers by A.T. Bartlett (Jr.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) and Johnson and a layup by Meghan MacPhee (So.-Marquette, Mich.). Lakeland would push the lead to 25 points early in the second quarter and largely maintained the lead into halftime, taking a 46-24 lead into the break despite a number of players sitting with two fouls in the first half.

Even after a dominant first half, the Muskies still rode a roller coaster in the second half as a huge lead began to evaporate in the third quarter. Lakeland took its largest lead of the game at 51-26 after a fast break lay-in by Johnson less than two minutes into the second half, but the Muskies would sputter the rest of the quarter.

Lakeland scored just two points in the last eight minutes of the third quarter, missing 15 of 16 shots in a stretch, and Rockford (3-12 overall, 2-6 NACC) began chipping away. A 17-2 run brought the Regents within 53-41 by the end of the period, and the guests were within 12 points still with less than seven minutes left. The Muskies finally pulled away with six straight points as Bartlett scored on a layup and then Peyton Madl (Fr.-New Lenox, Ill.) and Johnson both came up with steals and layups, the latter by Johnson making it 61-43 with 5:02 left.

Along with Johnson's big game, Bartlett also added 15 points plus 10 rebounds and four steals. Meryam Belbaz (Sr.-Skokie, Ill.) also scored seven points off the bench and Sadie Grabow (Fr.-Bourbonnais, Ill.) added four points and four steals.

Lakeland finished shooting 37.7% (29 of 77), slumping after a solid first half and making just 10 of 38 (26.3%) in the second half. The Muskies limited Rockford to 28.1% shooting, though, with the Regents making 18 of 64 shots). D'Asia Washington led Rockford with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Muskies are on the road for their next game Wednesday when they face Wisconsin Lutheran College at 7:15 p.m. in Milwaukee.