PAINESVILLE, Ohio – As the women's basketball season approaches its conclusion, the Lake Erie women's basketball program took the court in the Jerome T. Osborne Center for a home contest against the Ohio Dominican Panthers. After a tightly contested 4 quarters, the Storm were able to break their conference losing streak with a 69-62 win. 

In celebration of Senior Day festivities, the Storm got off to a hot start in the first quarter by controlling the paint behind 10 points from Breanna Bauer right off the bat. That interior prowess would give Lake Erie a 25-18 lead after the first period. 

In the second quarter, the Storm continued to extend their lead. Taylor Thomas hit three of her four attempted three-point shots in the quarter, and she led the Storm to a 42-25 lead as the game entered the halftime break. 

The third quarter saw the Storm initially push their advantage up to a 17 point lead behind strong play from Alexis Lehmkuhl and Lainey Billing. The Storm would hold a 15 point advantage going into the fourth quarter. 

In the fourth period,  Storm would see their lead whittled down to as Storm foul trouble gave the Panthers a chance to get back in the game from the charity stripe. As the Panthers drew the game into the single digits, the game became a defensive battle as both teams traded shots back and forth. However, due to some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch from Bauer and Lainey Billing, Lake Erie was able to clinch a 69-62 victory over Ohio Dominican. 

Statistically, the game painted a very familiar picture for the Storm. Lainey Billing led the way with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Breanna Bauer was just behind her with 15 points and 8 rebounds. 

The Storm women's basketball team returns to action on Thursday, February 17th when they travel to Findlay to take on the Oilers for a 5:30 tipoff.