NORTH PLATTE, NE – The Laramie County Community College women's basketball team put of one of their most consistent performances of the year on the way to rallying from down 34-27 at the half to down North Platte Community College 58-51 on Saturday afternoon for the first win of the season.
"Our team goal this game was just to keep swinging even as the punches come. Starting the season off 0-2 isn't a good feeling so we just came into this game focusing on one goal and it was really good just to see the girls be resilient especially when it was a pretty tight game," Head Coach Danielle Rinaldo said.
The two sides traded baskets in the opening quarter and neither team was able to get more than two possessions clear of the other with North Platte leading at the end of the first quarter 14-12.
In the second, the Knights found a small burst in the middle of the quarter that earned them some separation going into the break with a 34-27 lead.
The second half brought something different out of the LCCC defense though as they clamped down on the North Platte offense and limited them to just four points in the quarter. That was good because the offense was slow to begin the third quarter for the Golden Eagles who still only managed to put up 10 points but had closed the gap in the game to a 38-37 game going to the final quarter.
"We switched up our defenses and that helped increase the turnovers. It was good that we could keep the pressure on for the full 40-minute game and help get the momentum and intensity in the end," Rinaldo said.
The offense continued to whir along for the Golden Eagles in the fourth with the three playing a big role in helping the team pull away and helping them to shoot 39 percent in the game with 13 makes.
LCCC closed the game with a 21-13 quarter win to pick up their first win of the season and the first win in the return to Cheyenne for Rinaldo.
"I feel a little bit of the pressure come off of my shoulders and I think the girls felt it too. It feels really good," Rinaldo said.
The Golden Eagles were led by 19 points from Flora Lukow who was 4-9 from beyond the arc in the game. Kelly Megown also hit double digits with 12 points, all of which came from beyond the arc.
Marcela Pinedo-Saavedra picked up 10 rebounds in the game for her best total on the glass this season despite the team being outrebounded 51-28 through the game.
LCCC will be back at home in a rescheduled game against Northeastern Junior College on Monday afternoon. The game was originally scheduled to be in Sterling, Colorado, but was adjusted to aid in both teams travel schedule.
"It's a very quick turnaround. To have three games in four days is tough, especially with only ten players. We will give them some needed rest and watch some film on NJC. They had a big game against Casper so I know it is going to be another game where we have to battle it out," Rinaldo said.
Information on the game and tickets can be found at www.golccc.com.