UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. – Lindzy Cox scored a team-high 20 points as the Roosevelt women's basketball tried to rally back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit on the road against Governors State, but the Lakers' comeback came up just short in a 77-73 loss at the GSU Athletics & Recreation Center on Saturday.
Becca Bergman added 17 points and seven assists, while Jasmine Albert chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (15-13, 8-10 CCAC), who were without the services of injured forward Nadia Thorman-McKey.
JayShari Chears finished with 10 points.
Rachel Distor paced four Jaguars in double figures with a game-high 23 points as Governors State (16-11, 9-9 CCAC) took 23 fewer shots from the field but made 40 trips to the free throw line, almost making as many foul shots (25) as Roosevelt attempted (27).
Roosevelt maintained a slim lead for most the second quarter and into the early moments of the third before GSU went ahead and eventually built a 10-point advantage midway through the fourth and again with 90 seconds left in regulation.
The Lakers clawed their way back, extending the game in the late stages and slowly chipping away until getting the deficit down to four with :18 on the clock after Cherish Smith knocked down a pair of free throws.
Unfortunately time ran out on Roosevelt's rally, with Bergman's bucket in the final seconds accounting for the final margin.
"That was a tough one," Roosevelt head coach Keisha Newell said. "For the most part we executed the game plan and put ourselves in a position to win, but key mistakes defensively hurt us. We gave up seven threes to one player [Distor]. Despite that, we were still in the game.
"We have to bounce back and look to protect our home court one last time for our seniors on Wednesday."
Roosevelt closes out its home slate with a 5:30 p.m. game this Wednesday, Feb. 13 against 19th-ranked Cardinal Stritch. The Lakers will celebrate Senior Day with a ceremony prior to the game.
