MUAC falls to #8 Lake Land

DONALDSON — Saturday afternoon, the Charger women’s basketball team took on Nationally Ranked #8 Lake Land from Illinois, falling 82-53. The Lakers have National Tournament aspirations this season, and they came in and set the tone from the tip.

The Lakers capitalized on several first-half Charger turnovers, getting out in transition and scoring quickly most possessions. Lake Land took a comfortable 51-25 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Chargers came out with a lot more urgency in the second half, even winning the fourth quarter on the scoreboard, 14-10. Freshmen wings Bella Mahan and De’mour Watson each scored 10 points during the second-half surge.

Watson led MUAC in scoring with 14 points and 9 rebounds, including a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. Mahan added 13 points, including four 3-pointers, while Freshman guard Nasiya Gause also scored in double-figures with 11 points. as for the Lakers, they also placed three players in double-digits. Freshman guard Charleece Davis led all players with a near triple-double of 15 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists, while Sophomore wing Isabella Hardiek and Freshman forward Kaylee Niebrugge scored a dozen points each.

MUAC Head Coach Ryan Gould was disappointed with the first-half effort, but seemed encouraged by what came over the final 20 minutes.

“We had too many turnovers and quick shots against a team who is good at converting in transition,” he said. “It seemed like every shot they got in the first half was wide open. In the second half, I felt like we played with more effort, especially defensively, and we made it much tougher for them to score. We just can’t give up 51 points in a half at this level.”