WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Lincoln kicked off their 2015-16 season with a 64-54 upset win over 25^th ranked West Chester University on Saturday, Nov. 14^th. Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) scored a game-high 19 points while Monique Cheek (Teaneck, NJ/Harford Community College) added 12 points off of the bench.

Lincoln defeated West Chester for the first time in school history and also gave Head Coach Darrell Mosley his first career win. The Lady Lions held West Chester to 23% (17-71) shooting from the field and 21% (8-37) from three point land. Lincoln is off to a strong start to their season after a 50% outing from the field. LU was 24-of-48 from the field and hit 5-of-9 shots from long range.

The Lady Lions shot 42 % from the field in the opening half of play and had a ten point lead over the Golden Rams of West Chester University. Freshman guard Jaeda Davis (Milwaukee, WI/Rufus King HS) made all three of her shots from the field scoring seven first half points. Davis hit a shot from long range and then added a pair of layups leading the LU attack. Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) drained a pair of three-pointers helping the Lady Lions control momentum. West Chester shot 21% from the field and made only 2-of-14 shots from three-point range.

LU opened up the second quarter on a 10-0 run sparked by senior forward Lisa Saunders (Hampton, VA/Hampton HS). Saunders gave the Lady Lions a 13-11 lead followed by back-to-back three-pointers by Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS). Lincoln extended their lead to 21-11 on a jumper by junior guard Monique Cheek (Teaneck, NJ/Harford Community College). West Chester battled back and trailed Lincoln 27-22 at the half.

Both teams came out in the third quarter with aggressive play. West Chester took a 31-29 advantage at the 5:02 mark of the quarter, but a basket by sophomore forward Vivevca Nwagbaraocha (Milwaukee, WI/Pius XI HS) tied the game shortly after. The Lady Lions then went on a 9-0 run led by Amani Clark (Middletown, DE/Appoquinimink HS) and Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS). The backcourt duo gave Lincoln a 40-34 lead with one minute left in the quarter. Lincoln led 49-43 with under five minutes to play. Monique Cheek (Teaneck, NJ/Harford Community College) hit a jumper down the lane pushing the LU advantage to eight (51-43).

Lincoln's defense kept on forcing the Golden Rams into difficult shot attempts. Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) hit a crucial three-pointer extending the Lincoln lead to 54-46 with three minutes left. West Chester committed back to back turnovers in the final two minutes of action as Lincoln converted on free throws down the stretch. Monique Cheek (Teaneck, NJ/Harford Community College) hit several from the charity stripe in the final minute of play anchoring the Lady Lions to an upset victory over West Chester, 64-54.

Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) scored a game-high 19 points. She was 6-of-13 from the field and made 4-of-8 shots from long range. Smith grabbed five rebounds, had three steals, and two assists. Monique Cheek (Teaneck, NJ/Harford Community College) led the LU bench scoring with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Cheek converted on 4-of-6 free throws at the lead guard spot down the stretch. 

The Lady Lions return to action on Sunday, Nov. 15^th at 2 p.m. against Gannon University in the Carol Eckman Memorial Classic.