SPRING ARBOR, MI - Something happened in the Spring Arbor locker room at the half and whatever it was it happened quickly. The Lady Cougars were only off the floor for a few minutes and re-appeared, and whatever Coach Ryan Frost said to them worked. Down 30-35 at the break the Cougars went on a 17-1 run and never looked back winning the game 71-52 in the last home game until after Christmas break.
Spring Arbor avenges a dismal performance just more than a month ago when the Cougars managed only 29 points in a loss to Rochester on the road.
Audra Norris exploded with all 16 of her points coming in the second half as she went 4-4 from 3-point range. Norris also made five steals in the game. She scored the first eight points of the second half to get the rally started for the Cougars.
Jessica Garrison led all scorers in the game with 17 points hitting 6 of 10 shots from the field, and going 4-4 from the free throw line. Garrison hauled in nine rebounds on the night as well.
Angela Russell rebounded from the last two games with a solid performance tonight with 15 points on 3-4 from beyond the arc.
"We did a much better job of taking care of the ball tonight," said Head Coach, Ryan Frost. "We limited our turnovers to just 10, which is a great job, and we showed tremendous intensity on the defensive end of the court. I am really happy with the effort our team gave tonight. This was a big step in the right direction for us."
Megan Bement was the fourth Cougar in double digit scoring tonight adding 11 points, five assists, and five steals in a productive night for the senior from Swartz Creek, MI.
The win improves Spring Arbor to 4-8 on the season while Rochester College drops to 7-7.
The Cougars are off for finals week and will resume play December 16 and 17 for the Cornerstone University Tournament in Grand Rapids, MI. They open the tournament with the host on Friday night for a 7:00 tip off. The winner of Friday night's contest will play the winner of the IU-Northwest v. Viterbo University on Saturday at 3:00. The two losers will play just prior at 1:00.
