HAMBURG, NY – Women’s basketball got their first win of the season in Buffalo in their opening game of the season taking down Hilbert College 78-63 on Tuesday night. The Lakers started off the first quarter strong by scoring 23 points compared to the Hawks nine. Both Shania Iglesias and transfer student Karleigh Leo scored the first two three-pointers of the season for the Lakers. Both Logan Castiglione and Diamond Pickett were active in the first quarter as Castiglione had 3 assists and Pickett had six rebounds. Leo in her first game as a Laker had scored nine points in the first quarter.

The Lakers never slowed down as they continued to hold onto the lead in the second quarter. The Lakers got back-to-back steals from Pickett towards the end of the first half as they led to points by Shania Iglesias and then Pickett was able to add to her points total for the game. The Lakers were able to get 30 rebounds in the first half compared to only 17 for the Hawks and had 20 points in the paint. The Lakers led 35-30 going into halftime.

The Lakers defense continued to give the Hawks problems in the second half. The Lakers led 57-44 going into the final quarter. They were able to get their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter, leading 62-44. The Hawks couldn’t find any answers to the Lakers who dominated in almost every aspect of the game and on the stat sheet as well. Pickett had a great game for the Lakers as she scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds along with shooting 70% from the field. Leo made a name for herself on the court as she led the Lakers on the night with 20 points.

The Lakers will host their first game of the season on Friday, November 11th at 7:30 PM at the Max Ziel Gymnasium against the Keystone Giants. The Lakers will take on a Keystone squad for the first time in their program history where they face a team who went 18-8 last season and made it to the CSAC Championships before losing. Keystone fell to Wilkes on Tuesday night 76-52.

PHOTO COURTESY OF OSWEGO ATHLETICS