CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Parkland College women's basketball team powered past Spoon River College in the first round of the NJCAA DII Region 24 Tournament on Wednesday, March 6th. The top-seeded Cobras (25-4) controlled the game against the No. 8 seed Snappers (0-25) from the tip, building a big first-half lead and cruising to their 17th home win of the season. The Parkland defense forced 24 turnovers in the win, outscoring Spoon River 34-10 off giveaways. Sophomore guard Abby Shepard led all scorers with 19 points, while forward Alyssa Cole (18 points, 11 rebounds) recorded her first career postseason double-double.
 
The Cobras opened the game on a 10-0 run, capped by an Abby Shepard three-pointer – and back-to-back threes from Jordyn Crowder with 4:45 to go in the first quarter put Parkland up 17-2. The Snappers battled back with a 9-0 run of their own before the Cobras scored six straight to finish the quarter up 23-11. Spoon River countered with another 7-0 run to begin the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 23-18 with 8:19 left in the second quarter and forcing Parkland to call a timeout. The Cobras calmed down out of the timeout and maintained their lead through the second quarter before closing the half on a 12-0 run to lead 41-25 at halftime. The hosts continued their run in the second half, growing the lead to 51-25 two minutes into the third quarter, and Parkland led 63-34 heading into the fourth. The Cobras extended their lead in the final period, going 8-15 (53%) from the field as they emptied their bench and closed out the 89-47 win.
 
Statistical Overview:
Abby Shepard: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals
Alyssa Cole: 18 points (9-10 FT), 11 rebounds
Siarah Brown: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals
Jordyn Crowder: 13 points
Luka Wouters: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
 
Up next, Parkland will face No. 4 seed John Wood Community College on Saturday, March 9th, in the NJCAA DII Central District Semifinals. Tip-off against the Blazers (17-12) is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Lincoln Land Community College.