CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 11 Parkland College women's basketball team battled back from a halftime deficit to pick up a 65-59 win over No. 12 Lake Land College on Saturday, February 3. The Cobras (18-3) (6-1) trailed the Lakers (17-6) (4-3) by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but the defense stepped up in the fourth to close out the win and improve to 14-0 at home this season. Sophomore Abby Shepard led all scorers with 23 points, while Alyssa Cole (12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists) led the team in rebounds and assists in the win.
 
"It's always good when Lake Land comes into town. They always give us a good fight," head coach Jean Demosthenes said after the win. "At times, we gave up momentum, but that's just the name of the game. We still have some cleaning up to do, but I think defensively, we did a really good job communicating."
 
The Cobras jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first four minutes of the game, and a 9-0 run later in the first quarter forced the Lakers to call a timeout with 2:43 on the clock, trailing 18-7. Parkland went into the second quarter with a 23-9 lead, but Lake Land came roaring back, tying the game 25-25 with 3:00 remaining in the first half. The Lakers buried back-to-back threes before halftime to take the lead, and the Cobras went into the break down 33-29. The momentum stayed on Lake Land's side to start the second half as the Lakers extended their lead to 46-36, but Parkland battled back with an 11-0 run, taking a 47-46 lead with 1:09 left in the third quarter. The Cobras trailed 51-47 to start the fourth quarter, but back-to-back Rhylea Johnson buckets down low tied the game with 9:07 to go. The game remained tied midway through the final quarter, but the Laker offense went cold down the stretch, and the Cobras took advantage, building a 61-57 lead with just under two minutes to go. Lake Land shot just 3-21 (14%) from the field in the fourth quarter but hit a jump shot with 45 seconds remaining to cut it to 62-59. Parkland put the game away at three free throw line in the closing stages, going 4-6 in the final minute to finish off the 65-59 win.
 
Statistical Overview:
Abby Shepard: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks
Rhylea Johnson: 13 points, 4 rebounds
Alyssa Cole: 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists
Megan Janson: 3 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Siarah Brown: 3 points, 9 rebounds
 
Up next, the Cobras travel to Lewis & Clark Community College on Saturday, February 10. Tip-off against the Trailblazers (1-13) (0-6) is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Godfrey, Illinois.