TIFFIN, Ohio - Tiffin women's basketball knocked off Lake Erie 76-69 on Saturday afternoon to earn their third win in the last four games and improves their chances of securing a berth in the GMAC Tournament.
With the win, the Dragons improve to 5-9 in GMAC play with four games to go in the regular season. TU currently holds the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament according to conference record but should pass Lake Erie, who is a half-game ahead, in the points rating system after this afternoon's victory.
Savanah Richards continued her hot streak as of late, recording her fourth-straight 10+ point outing with a game-high 19 points. Aarion Nichols was next with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Jada Tate also had a great game down low, recording her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jasmine Watts came off the bench to add 10 points and tied her career-high with four blocks.
The Dragons struggled to get much going from beyond the arc but more than made up for it from inside the three-point line by shooting 51.8% from the field and outscoring the Storm 44-30 in the paint.
Tiffin outrebounded Lake Erie 34-30 and won the turnover battle 14-16. TU also had a great day at the free-throw line, going 17-21 for an 81.0% clip.
For the first half and part of the third quarter, Tiffin made multiple runs to go up by around eight points but the Storm kept charging back. Tied at 45 with 4:24 left in the third period, the Dragons finally took the lead for good on a Watts free throw.
Watts followed that up with a layup, sparking a 9-0 run for the Dragons that put the home team up 54-45 with 1:29 remaining in the quarter.
The lead was still at six heading into the final period, and Tiffin took care of the ball and made free throws down the stretch to keep the lead and take the seven-point victory.
The Dragons now look for revenge with a pair of big road games next weekend at Hillsdale and Findlay, whom TU both lost to by a combined four points in early January.