MIAMI– Eastern University Women's Basketball held the Lehman College Lightning (5-5) to 20 second-half points and pulled away to a convincing 78-58 win in the final women's game of the Hoop MIA D3 Holiday Shootout.
Emily Lavin went 7-for-7 from the floor int he first half and finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, and the Eagles improved to 8-2 on the year.
The Lightning, a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, jumped to an early lead behind the the play Amely Del Rosario and Lynda Fields. The two combined for 21 points as Lehman built a 23-19 lead after one quarter. The Eagles shot 9-of-14 (64%) from he floor in the first quarter, but still trailed. Del Rosario made three 3-pointers and had 14 points. Lavin had 11 points on five shots.
The Lightning continued to rely on back-court scoring and clung to a 38-35 lead at the half. Eastern grabbed a brief lead int he second quarter and had the game tied on a transition layup by
Regie Robinson with a minute to play. Fields put Lehman up with a long 3-pointer to close the half.
The Eagles again shot well from the floor (50%) but the Lightning grabbed five offensive rebounds in the period and made all four of their free throw attempts to hold onto the lead. Del Rosario had 19 points and Fields had 17. Lavin did not miss a shot and had 15 points on seven field goals and a free throw.
Taylor Price took over the game for a burst in the third quarter. The junior guard made 5-of-8 shots from he floor in the period and grabbed three rebounds. She had 11 points in the third period, and so did Lehman. The Lightning missed all eight of their 3-point attempts in the period as the game moved to a faster pace with
Kayla Holmes pushing the ball and the Eagles holding a clear advantage on the boards.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles scored 14 points in the paint and stretched a ten point lead to 20.
Regie Robinson finished the game with 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Price put away 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and handed out five assists. The Eagles scored 54 points in the paint and shot over 50 percent from the floor.
Del Rosario, who came into the weekend averaging nearly 28 points per game, scored 32, and Fields had 24.
The Eagles (8-2) will host Wesley College at 3 PM on January 30.
