PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Lakeland University women's basketball team shook off a sluggish first half to control play in the final 20 minutes and eventually pull away from Marian University for a 57-43 win Wednesday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies outscored the Sabres 38-22 in the second half, including a 10-0 run to take the lead for good to close the third quarter, and defeated Marian for the second time this year. Lakeland improved to 7-8 overall and is 4-3 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference as it nears the halfway point of the conference schedule.

The Muskies won on a night with far from their best, including frigid shooting for much of the game. Lakeland made 19 of 64 shots from the field, and it took a fourth quarter making 8 of 15 shots to warm up to finish at 29.7% shooting for the game.

The Muskies trailed 21-19 at halftime after shooting 19.4% (6 of 31) in the first half, and still were tied at 28-28 midway through the third quarter before holding the Sabres (1-14 overall, 0-7 NACC) scoreless for the final 5:43 of the period. Lakeland outscored Marian 10-0 over the rest of the quarter, taking the lead on two free throws by Sydney Nimsakont (So.-Glendale Heights, Ill.) and getting three-pointers from Sadie Grabow (So.-Bourbonnais, Ill.) and Alexis Johnson (Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) plus a basket in the run from A.T. Bartlett (Sr.-Farmington Hills, Mich.).

Grabow would add a twisting fast break layup to start the fourth quarter scoring to push the lead to 12, and the Muskies never led by less than nine the rest of the way. Marian briefly closed to within 42-33 after a three-pointer by Cassandra Arndt with 6:13 left, but Lakeland scored eight of the next 10 points, including Bartlett finishing the brief run with a three-pointer and a layup.

Bartlett scored 18 points and added five rebounds and five steals and Grabow also scored 10 points and added five rebounds and four steals. Johnson and Nimsakont also scored eight points each, including Nimsakont hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first half to keep the Muskies afloat early. Jiaryatou Cisse (Jr.-Harrison, Mich.) grabbed nine rebounds and Lydia Levra (So.-Elk Mound, Wis.) also added three points and was active with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Lakeland made 10 of its 19 field goals from three-point range, hitting 10 of 35 from long distance. The Muskies also held the Sabres to 29.3% shooting (17 of 58) and also forced 28 turnovers, finishing with 21 steals. Emily Eastham led Marian with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Lakeland goes on the road for its next game, facing Concordia University Chicago on Saturday at 1 p.m. in River Forest, Ill.