CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 12 Parkland College women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 90-73 win over Millikin University JV at home on Sunday, November 12. The Cobras (4-0) were led by sophomore Alyssa Cole's career-high 31 points, and her 11 rebounds against the Big Blue JV team gave her a 14th career double-double. Parkland shot over 50% from the field (35-69) and outrebounded Millikin 40-22 in their fourth straight win to start the season.
 
Working the ball inside was a point of emphasis for first-year Cobra head coach Jean Demosthenes, who said, "We identified that if we were going to win this game, we have to win it from the inside, and we did that tonight."
 
"We started a little sluggish," Demosthenes recognized after the win. "I don't know if it was the (9 a.m.) tip-off, but the energy was not there at the start. Going into that zone defense helped minimize some of their three-point shooting," Demosthenes continued. "In the end, I think it was a good change of pace for us."
 
The Cobras jumped out to a 32-15 first-quarter lead, going into halftime up 47-34 after dominating the Big Blue in the paint. Millikin cut the gap to 57-52 midway through the third quarter, but the Parkland defense stepped up to stop the run, and the Cobras led 70-57 going into the fourth. Sophomores Alyssa Cole and Abby Shepard combined to score 10 straight points in the closing stages of the game to put Parkland up 15, and the Cobras closed out the 90-73 win. Shepard (15 points, 10 assists) recorded her first career double-double in the victory.
 
Statistical Overview:
Alyssa Cole: 31 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists
Abby Shepard: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals
Siarah Brown: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
Rylea Johnson: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Lucy Fearday: 6 points, 10 rebounds
 
Up next, Parkland welcomes Rend Lake College to Champaign on Wednesday, November 15. Tip-off against the Warriors (1-2) is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.