The Nipissing Lakers women’s basketball team strung together four great quarters and earned win number one on the season, defeating the Western Mustangs 70-53 Friday night.
Nipissing led almost from the get-go and held the advantage after every quarter, building on the lead as they dominated at both ends of the court.
After an exciting first quarter, Nipissing held a slight two point lead, up 18-16.
Another fast-paced, exciting second quarter saw Nipissing build on their advantage, putting up 15 points and finished the half ahead 33-25.
Up eight heading into the third, the Lakers once again came out strong and controlled the play on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
The Lakers built on their lead and topped Western 49-33 after 30 minutes of basketball.
The team exploded for 41 points in the final quarter, as Western tried to cut into the lead, but another great 10 minutes of play saw Nipissing cruise to the victory.
The win is the first of the season for the Lakers, who had played well at times, but were unable to come out on top until Friday night.
Nipissing will wrap up the first half of the season Saturday night when they host the Windsor Lancers at the RJS Athletic Centre.
Tip-off is set for 6pm in the team’s final game of 2018.
A promising start did not translate into a win Friday night for the Nipissing Lakers men’s basketball team, as they fell to the Western Mustangs on home court.
The Lakers were unable to hold on to their 11 point halftime lead and dropped a tight 77-72 contest to the Mustangs.
The first quarter saw both teams come out strong and pretty even with Western grabbing the one point lead, 19-18, at the end of the opening 10 minutes.
The Lakers dominated the second quarter, outscoring Western 26-14 and seemingly taking control of the game.
That big frame put them up 44-33 at the break.
What turned out to be the different in the game was the third, where the Mustangs could not miss, scoring 28 points and turning their 11 point deficit into a 61-53 lead.
The Lakers fought back in the final quarter, outscoring Western by three, but it wasn’t enough, as the Mustangs held on to escape with the victory.
Marcus Lewis had a big game, scoring 26 points, Marvin Ngonadi added 18 and Justin Hill had 10 on tonight's contest.
Nipissing is back in action Saturday when they host Windsor at the RJS Athletic Centre. Game time is 8 p.m.
