CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Sophomore forward Micah Tapscott scored 27 points – tying her career-high – on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, as Parkland women's basketball pulled away late from Kankakee for a 64-49 victory on Tuesday night at Donald Dodds Athletic Complex. With the victory, Parkland improved to 11-6 on the season while Kankakee dropped to 6-10.

After a closely contested first 30 minutes, Parkland used a 19-2 run midway through the fourth quarter to put away the visiting Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Contributing to the run was 11 points from Tapscott, as well as nine from sophomore guard Crystal Mathis who returned to the Cobra lineup for the first time since suffering an injury late December.

Shooting over 50 percent in the second half, Parkland shot 49.1 percent for the game and dished out 22 assists on 26 made field goals. The Cobras also executed at the free throw line, draining 10 of 13 attempts. Defensively, Parkland forced 14 Cavs turnovers and controlled the glass with a 39-30 rebounding advantage.

Shooting an impressive 75 percent from the field on Tuesday, and a perfect 3-of-3 from the foul line, Tapscott tied her career high from December 2, 2017 with 27 points. The 75-percent shooting also tied her career best shooting percentage of 10 attempts or more, equaling a 9-of-12 efficiency back on November 3 against Southeastern. Tapscott twice scored double-digit points in a quarter, scoring 10 in the second period and 11 more in the fourth quarter.

Raising her points-per-game average to 11.0 for the season, the 20-point game was the second in the last four games for the Petersburg, Ill., native and the fourth straight game in double figures. Adding to the performance was a team-high seven rebounds and a block on the defensive end.

Aiding Tapscott on the offensive end, sophomore guards Gemma Rescasens and Crystal Mathis scored nine points each while point guard Olivia Babcock assisted on five made shots. In the post, Emily Meinert scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.

Leading throughout the first quarter, the Cobras scored seven of the game's first nine points –beginning with a layup off the opening tip by Olivia Babcock – to take an early 7-2 lead. The Cavaliers would cut the lead down to one late in the quarter, but buckets by Madelyn Brower and Cassie Russo kept the Cobras ahead by three at the end of the first period.

Kankakee took their first lead of the game with a 6-0 run to open the second quarter, holding Parkland scoreless for three minutes. After back-to-back baskets by forwards Meinert and Tapscott pushed Parkland back out and front, the two sides traded the lead for the next four minutes. Trailing by one, Tapscott scored four field goals – three jumpers and a lay-up, in the closing four minutes to finish with 10 points in the quarter and give Parkland a 29-25 halftime lead.

After finishing the first half on a 6-2 run, Parkland opened the second half with four straight points to create an eight-point lead. The Cavs again battled back to within a point, 33-32, midway through the quarter, but the Cobras again responded with a surge – 8-2 in the final 4:05 – to take a 41-34 lead into the fourth quarter.

Building off the end the third quarter, Parkland outscored Kankakee 23-15 in the final quarter to pull away with a double-digit victory. Leading 44-37 two minutes into the quarter, a pair of free throws by Rescasens started a 19-2 Cobra run over the following four minutes. Highlighting the game-clinching surge were 17 points from Tapscott and Mathis while the Cobras' defense held the Cavs without a field goal for 5:27.

Up next, Parkland will travel to Chicago for a 5 p.m. matchup with Malcolm X College on Thursday, January 17.