Lady Pioneers Win Late

University Center, MI -  It didn't look good for the Delta College women's basketball team on Wednesday as they trailed visiting Alpena Community College by 12 points halfway through the third quarter.  But a full court pressure defense and a gritty offensive effort allowed the Pioneers to pull even with one minute left in the contest before finally winning, 73-68.

"Tonight we showed a lot of heart and resilience," said head coach Kelly Miller.  "Alpena came to play – they always do – and kept us on our toes the entire game."

Alpena took a 17-14 lead after one quarter before a 24 point outburst in the second quarter by Alpena opened a sizeable halftime lead for the visitors.  The third quarter saw Delta force multiple turnovers to pull within three heading into the final stanza.

"We played intense and made it difficult for them to make good shots," said Miller.  "Our intensity forced them into bad decisions and ultimately brought us back into the game."

Delta took its first lead, 69-68, with :42 seconds remaining in the game before forcing Alpena into a miss on the offensive end of the court.  With time winding down, Jayde Abenth hit Jenna Szostak on a slick backdoor layup that upped the lead to three with :20 seconds to go.  A steal and layup by Kenisha Newsom in the closing seconds thwarted any comeback effort left in Alpena.

Abenth led the offense with 16 points and 10 boards while Newsom added 12 points and tallied six steals.  Jenna Szostak added 12 points as well.

"We know we are going to face tough teams every night now that we are in conference play," said Miller.  "As long as we continue to build on hard fought wins like this one, we'll be ready come district tournament."

Delta is now 8-6 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.  They next play at Wayne County CC on Saturday in a 1pm contest.