Lady Lakers Cruise to Victory Lane for the Sixth Consecutive Time

CANANDAIGUA – The Lady Lakers took to the court on Wednesday sitting in the second spot in the MSAC standings. Standing in their way in the standings was and still is Onondaga CC. With a win last night – Finger Lakes – who still has to face Onondaga one more time in the regular season – would keep itself alive in the hunt for the top seed in the conference.

Entering their own court in an MSAC matchup with Cayuga CC on Wednesday – the Lady Lakers – who came into play riding a five-game winning streak – improved their conference record to 10-1 by taking down the Lady Spartans – 86-60. The win moved Finger Lakes overall record to 15-10.

Leading the charge offensively for the Lady Lakers was Co-MSAC Player of the Week Casi Strait. In 37 minutes – the sophomore – on sophomore night – scored a game-high 31 points on 13-21 shooting. She jump started her 31-point showing by dropping in 19 first-half points for the hosts. Her 19 points in the first half helped push Finger Lakes to a 46-30 halftime lead.

Finger Lakes opened up a sixteen-point halftime lead by putting on a solid passing display in the first twenty minutes of the contest. Prior to intermission – the Lady Lakers – as a team – dished out 11 assists. Julia Pagano – who finished the night with a game-high 7 assists – paced Finger Lakes in the first half in the passing column. Playing in 17 first-half minutes – the sophomore handed out 5 of the Lady Lakers 11 assists.

Finger Lakes – who went on to conquer a twenty-six point victory – swept its regular season series with the Lady Spartans. Aside from great ball movement – the Lady Lakers can credit several other statistical categories for their home win. They shot the ball at an effective rate from the field – where they were 46 percent as a team. Three pointers – in addition to two-pointers – fell at a solid rate for Finger Lakes. On the night – it shot 50 percent from beyond the arc – where it finished the game 7-14.

Defense was also a key factor that led to the win for the Lady Lakers. As a unit – they collected 38 rebounds (14 of which were on the offensive end of the court) and 18 steals.

Cayuga – despite falling – registered a pair of twenty-point scorers in China Agnew (24 points, team-high) and Latina Smith (22 points). Agnew's night – which consisted of her playing in all 40 minutes of the contest – finished with her making 6 three-point baskets. Smith – who was 7-16 from the hardwood and 7-8 from the free throw line – registered her 22 points in 38 minutes.

For Finger Lakes – Strait's offensive performance was followed by the 18-point showing of sophomore Kelli McCauley. McCauley – on the night – shot the ball at a high percentage as she was 5-8 from the field and 2-3 from three.

Kelly Broderick – who has been giving the Lady Lakers quality minutes throughout the season – registered 11 points and 4 assists off of the bench. She – along with Strait – added to Finger Lakes three-point total. Both guards supplied the team with a pair of threes. Strait was 2-2 while Broderick was 2-5 from three-point land.

Sophomore Jordan Smith and freshman Casey Dean each registered 8 points apiece for the Lady Lakers. Smith – in addition to her offense – pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

Pagano – to go along with her 7 assists – snagged a game-high 8 steals.

Cayuga – who played with just six players on the night – showed great tenacity throughout the entire game. With their top two scorers in Agnew and Smith playing 40 and 38 minutes respectively and with the rest of their lineup playing a minimum of twenty minutes a person – the Lady Spartans showed great heart and played with a heavy amount of enthusiasm all game long.

Finger Lakes – who will now wait and see where it will be seeded in the conference playoffs – will faceoff with Onondaga this Saturday (2/16) in its next contest. The game – which is set to take place at 1:00 p.m. amidst Onondaga's court – will determine who will receive the number one seed in next week's conference playoffs. Onondaga – who is currently sitting atop of the MSAC standings – must beat Finger Lakes to receive the number one spot in the tournament. If the Lady Lakers win – a good old fashion coin flip will determine who receives the number one nod. In a meeting between the two clubs earlier in the season – Onondaga defeated Finger Lakes on the Lady Lakers court by a score of 63-57.