(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College women's basketball team had aspirations of pulling off an upset Tuesday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. However, Oakton Community College gradually pulled away in the second half to secure a 75-64 win in Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) action. The Chiefs (12-11, 3-5), who handed ISCC leader Lake County (21-4, 7-1) their only league loss back in January, gave the second place Owls (22-2, 6-2) all they could handle for nearly three quarters. In the end it was the Owls bench that provided the spark they needed to outlast the Chiefs. For the game Oakton's reserves out scored Waubonsee's bench 57-12 and scored 25 points off Chiefs' turnovers to turn the tide.
Makayla McNally scored on a spin move in the lane to get the Chiefs on the board. Moments later Demayiah Gaines and Anna-Marie Godina each drilled a three-pointers from the top of the key as Waubonsee raced out to a 10-2 lead. A slick back door pass by Savannah FitzSimons to a cutting McNally resulted in an easy basket as the upset minded Chiefs continued to take it to the Owls midway through the first quarter. Godina connected on another triple not long afterwards to extend Waubonsee's lead to 17-5. After Oakton cut the lead to six Anyae Newson knocked down a trey as the fast and furious action went back and forth. McNally then converted one of two free throws in the final seconds to give the Chiefs a 22-15 lead after one period.
The Owls turned up the defensive pressure in the second stanza and quickly put together a 9-0 run to take the lead. Oakton collectively found its shooting touch on the way to taking a 31-25 lead midway through the quarter courtesy of a 16-3 run. Two minutes later Newson went coast to coast, grabbing a rebound and finishing with a reverse lay-in at the other end as Waubonsee worked to stay with the Owls. Godina then splashed back-to-back three-point baskets, her third and fourth of the half, to put the Chiefs ahead 35-33 with a minute to go until halftime. Oakton then scored from close range to tie the game at 35 as the teams headed to the locker room.
The Owls netted the first five points of the second half and forced the Chiefs to play from behind again. Waubonsee stayed within striking distance until Oakton's Jadyn Kosanic connected on a high arching three from the left corner to give the visitors a 52-44 lead with four minutes to go in the third quarter. The Owls appeared to take a 56-49 lead into the final period, but Newson was whistled for a foul at the buzzer sounded. After a short discussion the officials put three-tenths of a second on the clock and gave Kosanic a pair of free throws. She made the second of the two charity tosses and then the Owls scored on their first possession of the fourth period to give them a double digit lead 59-49, their biggest lead of the game to that point.
An offensive rebound and put back basket by Abi Dietlin cut into the deficit a minute into the fourth quarter. But Oakton gradually began to separate from the Chiefs midway through the final period as their depth and size advantage came into play. The Owls led by as many as 13 points as the clock wound down before McNally scored inside with a left-handed shot off the glass. But Oakton kept Waubonsee at bay over the final minutes to secure the road win.
Godina finished with five baskets from beyond the arc on the way to scoring a team-high 19 points to go along with grabbing seven rebounds. Newson booked 17 points, while McNally tallied 14 points and hauled down six boards. FitzSimons and Emily Mengerink each handed out six assists, and Josie Rader was credited with three assists for the Chiefs. Waubonsee goes on the road to nearby Elgin Community College to battle the Spartans this coming Thursday, February 6, starting at 5:15 p.m. In their first meeting on January 7 in Sugar Grove the Chiefs downed the Spartans 66-53. Waubonsee returns home to host Kankakee Community College this Saturday, February 8 at 1:00 p.m.