Carter's Late 3-Pointer Gives No. 9 Express Women 74-71 Win over No. 18 Lake Michigan

By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Toledo, Ohio---Kamilah Carter (Pioneer/Ann Arbor, Mich.) hit a game-winning 3-pointer from the right wing with just over a minute left to give the No. 9 Express women's basketball team a 74-71 win over No. 18 Lake Michigan College in the SHAC today.

With the game tied at 69-all, Carter took a pass from Eboni Adams (Maple Heights/Cleveland, Ohio) and buried the 3-pointer with 1:11 left. Lacorsica Metts hit a lay-up for Lake Michigan with 35 seconds left to pull her team within one, but Paige Wright (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) made two free throws to seal it with five seconds left.

The Express led 38-31 at halftime thanks to a buzzer beating lay-up from Maura Hackney (Edgewood/Middletown, Ohio). They got a lay-up and a 3-pointer from Carter, as well as three free throws from Ashley Tunstall (Huber Heights Wayne/Dayton, Ohio) to stretch the lead to 44-36 with 17:33 left.

The Red Hawks, however, didn't lay down and eventually took a 54-53 lead on a lay-up from Lexi Hobbs with 9:53 left. On the ensuing possession after the lead change, Carter knifed her way through Lake Michigan's defense for a lay-up to give the Express the lead again.

The two teams then exchanged baskets before Paige Wright (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) picked up a loose ball on the right wing and buried a mid-range jumper to give the Express a 59-58 lead with 8:08 left.

Following that, Adams hit a jumper on a fast-break, as well as an ensuing fast break lay-in following a steal to give the Express a 63-58 lead. After a timeout, Tunstall hit a lay-up and Adams hit another lay-up to stretch the lead to nine with 4:17 left.

Lake Michigan answered right back with an 8-0 run, though, to tie the game with 2:33 left. Tunstall responded to that run with a lay-up on a nice pass from Wright before Hobbs hit a lay-in to tie the game at 69. That's when Carter provided the heroics for the Express.

The Red Hawks, who had a chance to take the lead with less than 20 seconds left, but missed a lay-up, did not get a shot off as time expired following Wright's late free throws.

Carter led the Express in scoring with 21 points, while adding five rebounds and three assists. She finished 7-for-11 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-6 from the foul line.

Adams added 13 points, three rebounds, a team-high three steals and one assist before fouling out in 25 minutes of action. Wright finished with 10 points, a team-high eight assists, five rebounds and one steal.

Tunstall nearly hit double figures with nine points, while adding a team-high eight rebounds (four offensive), one steal and one block. Hackney also had a solid game with eight points, six rebounds and one block.

Both teams struggled overall from the foul line as they combined to finish 26-for-50. The Express finished 11-for-22 in that category, although they out-rebounded Lake Michigan 47-43 (including a 15-13 advantage in offensive boards).

The Express, who won their sixth straight game today following a season-opening, two-point loss to undefeated Kirkwood Community College, will take their 6-1 record on the road Nov. 23-24 with back-to-back games against Mercyhurst North East Community College and Lake Erie College JV. The games are at 1 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.

Lake Michigan fell to 2-1 with the loss. They were led by Hobbs, who finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. DeYahnna Styles added 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Sabrina Trujillo had 15 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Notes

Wright's eight assists are three off her season-high of 11 on Nov. 4. She has at least five rebounds and double figures in scoring in every game except the season opener, where she only played two minutes.

Carter has double figures in every game this year, and she leads the team in scoring at 18.7 per game. Today was the third game in which she had 20 or more points.

Today's matchup was the first time these two teams played each other since last year's NJCAA D-II National Tournament consolation championship game, in which the Express won.

Today's win was also the second ranked team the Express has beaten to open the season. They previously beat No. 10 Monroe College 74-58 on Nov. 9. Their only loss, a two-point defeat against Kirkwood, remains a solid one as Kirkwood remains undefeated after their nine point win over No. 2 Illinois Central College today.