CHICAGO – Roosevelt used the fiery passion of Jayla Turchin and the cool composure of Luka Malinka to outlast Michigan Tech 73-63 for its fourth straight win Saturday in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Goodman Center.

Malinka was held to just seven shots, but still scored 27 points with her poise at the free-throw line. The senior from Denmark set the program record by going 20 for 20 at the stripe, which also tied the program record for free throws in a game. The effort is the best by a women's basketball player this season in any division, beating the current high mark of 16 for 16 from the line. She is just the third player in all three NCAA divisions to make 20 free throws in a game this season, but the first to do so in Division II.

On the other hand, Turchin took over the game in the third quarter to help the Lakers (11-12, 9-8 GLIAC) pull away for good. Roosevelt led by one at halftime before Turchin became a one-woman wrecking crew and scored the first nine points of the quarter for the Lakers. After she spun her way to the hoop for a layup with 1:28 left, Roosevelt led by seven points and Turchin was up to 11 points in the quarter on 5 of 7 shooting.

Roosevelt stretched its lead into double figures early in the fourth quarter and it stayed there for the final six minutes of the contest. Malinka made 10 free throws and a layup in the fourth quarter to help ice the game and eclipse 20 points for the seventh time this season. The senior has now made 29 straight free throws and is 44 of 48 from the line in the month of February.

Kencia Levasseur scored 14 points as well to complement the effort of the Lakers' senior duo.

The Lakers trailed by a point after 10 minutes, but made their mark in the second and third quarters with their intensity on defense. Roosevelt limited Michigan Tech to 26 percent shooting in the second quarter and 19 percent in the third to turn that one-point deficit into an eight-point edge. The Lakers did so without forcing many turnovers, but simply crashing the glass and contesting shots. Six players finished with at least five rebounds in the win, led by Marie Outlay who had seven boards.
 

IN THE RAFTERS: At halftime of Saturday's game, Roosevelt University honored alumna Casey Davis as the first Lakers student-athlete to ever have their jersey number retired. Her No. 15 will forever hang in the rafters of the Goodman Center after leaving Roosevelt with the all-time scoring record, the single-game scoring record and the single-game scoring record.

Davis was part of Roosevelt's initial recruiting class when the university resumed sponsoring intercollegiate athletics in 2010, which was also the first time Roosevelt sponsored women's sports. She went on to become a two-time first-team All-American, a three-time first-team All-CCAC honoree and the CCAC's Rookie of the Year as a freshman.

By her junior year, the Lakers were one of the top teams in the country, finishing the 2012-13 campaign with a 28-7 record and ranked No. 10 in the country. Roosevelt advanced to the round-of-16 in its first-ever NAIA Tournament appearance that season after claiming the CCAC regular-season and tournament titles. Davis played a pivotal role in the Lakers winning the conference crown with a last-second, driving layup to defeat Purdue Calumet 92-90 in overtime in a contest between the league's top two teams.

In her senior campaign, the Lakers rose to as high as No. 5 in the country and made a return to the national tournament. Her 2013-14 season still stands as the best offensive performance in program history with 679 points, including the record 51 against Olivet Nazarene on Jan. 24, 2014.

UP NEXT: The Lakers will try to extend their winning streak to five games Monday evening when they host Northern Michigan on Senior Day. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Senior Day festivities starting at 6:20 prior to the game.