PAINESVILLE, Ohio

The Lake Erie College Storm earned a 73-59 victory over Great Midwest Athletic Conference foe, Tiffin University Dragons, this afternoon. With the win, Lake Erie improves to 8-11 overall and get over the .500 mark in the G-MAC (5-4). With the loss, the Dragons fall to 7-12 overall and 2-7 in the G-MAC.

The Storm got out to an early lead, stretching it to six points three times in the first ten minutes of play. They extended their lead to nine with the help of a pair of free throws from Storm junior Breanna Bauer, but a run by the Dragons started around the six-minute mark in the second quarter allowed them to go on top, and the Storm went into the locker rooms trailing 30-29 at halftime.

Lake Erie took back the lead and held it in the third quarter, holding a two-point advantage over the dragons heading into the final quarter of play. At 8:38 left to play, the Dragons drew a tie. But, Storm freshman Sydney Wyngarden hit a three-pointer seven seconds later to put the Storm ahead by three, and that started a seven-point scoring run aided by a plethora of opportunities at the free-throw line due to six shooting-fouls committed by the Dragons in the last four minutes of play. The Storm ended the game with a 14-point advantage over the Dragons, their largest of the night.

Leading the Storm offensively against the Dragons was senior Josie Chaddock. Chaddock recorded 25 points, four rebounds, three blocked shots, and two assists in the win over Tiffin. This marks Chaddock's sixteenth game in double-figure points, and her seventh twenty-point game so far into her senior campaign.

Senior Ashley West also recorded double figures against Tiffin, her third game in double-figure points, scoring ten points and recording nine rebounds, three steals, and two assists. 

Breanna Bauer added 18 points with five rebounds, two steals, and one assist and block respectively. Bauer has had four games in which she has scored double figures so far into her junior campaign. 

"Today was a great bounce back game for us after a tough loss on Thursday night against ODU.", said head coach Kenzie Perttu. "Tiffin plays really tough. Their guards do a great job getting downhill and their posts are efficient inside. It was really important to defend without fouling and finish possessions on the defensive end."

Perttu was also pleased with how her team adjusted throughout the course of the game. "Our players did a great job adjusting and grinding out stops down the stretch. Offensively, their zone slowed us up in the second quarter, but the team came out of the half with a little more edge and aggression on the offensive end, which gave us some good looks at the rim."

The Storm heads to Nashville next to take on the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans, and coach Perttu is confident tonight will help them prepare for it. "This afternoon's win was a really great team win for us and we are looking forward to a solid week of practice and to our next challenge against a good Trevecca team next Saturday down in Nashville."

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