Daily Herald Article

PALATINE, Ill. – In their first game of 2015, the Harper College women's basketball team dropped a 66-50 contest against a solid Mid Michigan Community College squad on Saturday afternoon inside the Wellness & Sports Center.

The Hawks (6-9) fell into an 11-0 hole early and didn't score their first basket until the 13:38 mark in the first half. Harper cut the Lakers' lead to 15-9 on a Kim Herzog (/Buffalo Grove) basket, but the Lakers (9-4) used full-court pressure to force the Hawks into 15 first half turnovers and a 34-23 edge at the break.

The Lakers (9-4) used a 15-5 run in the first 4 ½ minutes of the second half to stretch the lead to 49-28. The closest Harper got after that point was within 16 points.

Joslyn Nicholson (/Cary-Grove) continued her strong play for the Hawks with a game-high 23 points and 15 rebounds. Ashonte Sims (/Normal Community West) added eight points and eight rebounds, and Lane Winkler (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) and Herzog each scored seven. Sarah Nelson (/Warren Township ) scored five points in her season debut for Harper. The Hawks committed 25 turnovers in the game.

Mid Michigan's Courtney English led a balanced attack with 12 points and eight rebounds. Karli Jacob and Jo Hamlin scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, and point guard Kara Hughston dished out eight assists.

Next up for the Hawks is their N4C opener at fourth-ranked Rock Valley College (10-5) on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 5:30 PM.