CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 14 ranked Parkland College women's basketball team bounced back from last week's loss with a strong showing against Vincennes University, taking down the Trailblazers 71-61 on Saturday, December 17th. The Cobras never trailed on Saturday, outscoring their opponents 30-20 in the paint while shooting 53 percent (24-45) from the field in their 11th win of the season. Freshman Alyssa Cole (25 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) led all scorers while sophomore Shae Bell (18 points, 11 rebounds) recorded her sixth double-double of the season in the win.

"It feels good to go into our break with a win," First-year head coach Laura Litchfield said after the game, "We executed our game plan well. We really took to heart our scouting report about what their strengths were and tried our best to take that away."

The Cobras (11-1) started strong, opening a 13-2 lead over the Trailblazers (9-6) in the first 6:26 of the game, and the team led 16-5 at the end of the first quarter. Parkland continued to control Vincennes in the second quarter, and the Cobras took their largest lead of the game, 22-7, following two Shae Bell free throws. Vincennes shot just 15 percent from the field in the opening quarter, the Trailblazers managed to close the gap thanks to better shooting in the second, cutting the Parkland lead to seven points with under two minutes to go, and the Cobras led 29-22 at halftime. Vincennes came out of the break with intensity, and the two teams traded buckets to start the second half. A quick 9-0 run, capped by a Jennifer Heinberg three, gave the Cobras a 43-28 lead with 4:22 left in the third quarter, but the Trailblazers closed the half with an 8-3 run of their own to make the score 48-41 going into the fourth. Freshman Alyssa Cole converted an and-one to open the fourth quarter, and the offense came alive in the closing stages. Vincennes tried to shoot its way back into the game, but Parkland continued to get to the free throw line, going 8-10 from the charity stripe to stay in front. A late Rosh Webb and-one in the closing stages gave Parkland a 14-point lead with 2:01 remaining, and the Cobras came away with the 71-61 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Statistical Overview:
Alyssa Cole: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
Shae Bell: 18 points, 11 rebounds
Jennifer Heinberg: 11 points (3-6 3pt), 3 assists
Rosh Webb: 5 points, 5 rebounds

The Parkland College women's basketball team will be back in action on Wednesday, January 4th, when the Cobras head north for a game at Kankakee Community College. Tip-off against the Cavaliers (3-10) will be at 5:30 PM on Wednesday.