New York, NY ---- The Brooklyn College Women's Basketball team continued its winning ways in City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) play, as the Bulldogs defeated the Lightning of Lehman College tonight by a score of 59-54 in a game held at Borough of Manhattan Community College.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 11-5 overall on the season and 5-0 in conference play; while the Lightning fall to 8-10 overall on the year and 3-3 in the league.

The first half saw the Bulldogs lead throughout much of the period. However, the Lightning would eventually take a slim 19-17 advantage heading into the intermission break. Trailing by eight, 17-9, at the 5:54 mark of the half, Lehman would close out the stanza on a 10-0 run. Brooklyn senior guard Lauren Plagainos led all scorers in the opening period with 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three, while Lehman's Alicia McDaniel netted 10 first half points shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field to pace the Lightning.

The second half continued to be a tight affair as both teams battled to take control of the game. After a free throw from Jaleesa Gordon tied the game at 32 apiece with 11:18 left in the game, the Bulldogs answered with buckets from freshman guard Nicole Francomano and junior center Tiffany Thompson to give BC a 36-32 advantage at the 9:35 mark. Brooklyn would lead the rest of the way and eventually build a double digit advantage on a jumper from senior forward Justine O'Callahan to give the Bulldogs a 52-42 lead with just 4:12 left before the final buzzer. A three from Plagainos at the 2:49 mark gave Brooklyn its largest lead of the game, 55-44.

Free throws from Francomano and O'Callahan down the stretch would eventually ice the game for BC, as the Bulldogs would edge out a hard fought 59-54 victory.

Plagainos finished the game with 21 points to lead all scorers, on 7-for-13 shooting, including going 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. Francomano added 13 points and eight rebounds, while O'Callahan chipped in with 11 points and a team-high 15 rebounds for the double-double. She also dished out four assists.

For Lehman, McDaniel finished the night with 15 points and nine rebounds. Gordon contributed with a double-double netting 14 points and a grabbing game-high 16 rebounds to go along with a game-high seven blocks, while Paula Robinson added 12 points.

The Lighting shot 36.2% (21-58) from the floor and 18.8% (3-16) from three. Lehman also hit 60.0% (9-15) from the foul line.

The Bulldogs shot 29.7% (19-64) from the floor and 41.2% (7-17) from beyond the arc. BC shot 56.0% (14-25) from the charity stripe. Brooklyn also held the rebounding edge 52-42.

BC will be back in action this Saturday, January 21st, as the Bulldogs will play host to the Bearcats of Baruch College, the reigning four-time CUNYAC champions. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 pm at the West Quad Center. 50 tickets to an upcoming New Jersey Nets game will also be raffled off during the game.