Lakeland College

Big Shots, Steals Propel Muskies to Win Over Marian

Athletics - posted on 1/31/2008

The Lakeland College women's basketball team shot 51.6 percent from the field and picked off 14 steals en route to an 83-69 Northern Athletics Conference victory over Marian College on Thursday, Jan. 30, at Lakeland.

The Muskies (8-10, 5-6 NAC) flustered the Sabres with an aggressive full-court press for much of the game, forcing them into 21 turnovers.

"Our strengths were jumping out on them on defense and setting the tempo for the game," said Lakeland head coach Teri Johnson, as her team leaped out to an early 8-0 lead. "Our full-court pressure got that done, which is something we always focus on. It was good to see us get a great defensive start to the game and force some turnovers."

Although Lakeland has struggled at times on offense this season, that was not the case tonight, as the team enjoyed balanced scoring throughout its roster with three reaching double-digits. Junior guard Kasey Gussert led the Muskies with 19 points off the bench, as she made an impressive five of her six attempts from 3-point range.

"Kasey Gussert was completely on fire tonight," Johnson said. "She's been a little cold in a few of our past games, so it was great to see her have a great game. We shot well from everywhere, and it was good to see that they weren't forced shots. We talked about executing our offense and getting looks that we wanted and looking at all of our options."

That controlled and patient offense helped the Muskies build a 20 point lead by halftime, 48-28, and lead by as many as 28 points early on in the second half.

Seniors Peggy Keiper and Brenda Paulson also made big plays on offense, as Keiper had 14 points with four made 3-pointers while Paulson had 12 points and five big steals.

"Brenda had a bit of a slow start, but then really got into it and did some great things," Johnson said. "Terra Hiben did a great job again defensively and Peggy shot very well."

Sophomore guard KC Blahnik led the squad on the glass with nine rebounds, while also chipping in seven points, and sophomore forward DeAnna Rettschlag came off the bench to shoot 4-for-5 for eight points.

The Muskies will continue NAC action this Saturday, Feb. 2, at Dominican University.

"Dominican has surprised a couple of teams, so that is a team that we definitely can't take lightly," Johnson said. "We need to keep taking care of business in conference in order to secure a spot in the conference tournament."

Game time at Dominican is set for 2 p.m. in River Forest, Ill.

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