Nov. 22, 2011

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. - Three days ago junior Jaleesa Gordon posted 13 points and 13 rebounds in Lehman's loss to NYU Poly, a performance that earned her a spot on the John K. Adams Classic All-Tournament Team.

On Tuesday night on the campus of St. Joseph's College, she did herself one better, totaling 23 points and nine rebounds as the Lightning broke through for its first win of the season, an 84-72 victory over the host Eagles.

Gordon shot an impressive 8-for-12 from the field and poured in all but six of her 23 points in the second half to help hold off an Eagles team that came perilously close to overtaking the Lightning.  Overall, Gordon led five Lehman players in double figures.

Helping to lessen the scoring burden on Gordon were Leslie Mencia (15 points), Amanda De La Cruz (14 points, 7-15 FG), Alicia McDaniel (14 points, 7-8 FG), and Shalaya Nieves (12 points).

St. Joseph's nearly overtook the Lightning over the first 10 minutes of the second half, but was thwarted by a burst from Gordon before her teammates put the game out of reach.

With the lead cut to 47-44 following a basket by Colleen Fitzsimons, Gordon dropped hoops on back to back possessions to push the Lightning's lead back to 51-44.  Baskets by Paula Robinson and De La Cruz capped the brief 8-0 run to restore some order. 

Nieves and Mencia would get in on the act on a combination of free throws and jump shots before three straight buckets by Gordon gave the Lightning its largest lead of the game at 74-53 with just 4:05 remaining.

The win improves Lehman's record to 1-3 as the team embarks on a brief road trip over the Thanksgiving break to compete in the Gallaudet University Holiday Tournament.