PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College women's basketball team put the clamps down defensively on Tuesday night in its matchup with visiting Oakton Community College. The Hawks (2-6) built up a 30-10 lead at halftime and rolled to a 54-21 victory over the Owls (0-9).

From the opening tip, it was all Harper. Jackie Stroud (Norridge, Ill. /Ridgewood) converted a three-point play less than a minute in and the Hawks led 17-4 after one period. The Hawks continued their strong defense into the second quarter and closed the half with a pair of 3-pointers from Sarah Nelson (Gurnee, Ill. /Warren Township ) and Kim Herzog (/Buffalo Grove).

Harper's most impressive good, though, came in the third, as the team outscored Oakton 20-2 to lead 50-12 after three. In the latter stages of the quarter with the Hawks lead 39-12, Stroud took over, scoring nine of her game-high 18 points in less than a minute-and-a-half.

Head coach Jenny Turpel was able to play many different lineup combinations as all nine active players saw 15 or more minutes of action. Harper limited Oakton to just 18.5 percent shooting (10-of-54) on the night. The Hawks shot 31.9 percent (22-of-69) from the field and 70 percent (7-of-10) from the free throw line.

Herzog reached double figures with 11 points, and Nastia Solsaa (Menomonie, Wis. /Menomonie ) scored a season-high seven points. Ashonte Sims (Bloomington, Ill. /Normal Community West) and Lane Winkler (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) both corralled seven rebounds. For Oakton, Rebecca Bartnicki led the way with eight points and 18 rebounds.

Harper returns to the court on Thursday night in a road contest at No. 13 (DII) Kankakee Community College (7-1). Tipoff is set for 5 PM.