The 23rd-ranked Lady Roadrunners won their season opener Oct. 31 when they defeated the Cloud County Community College Lady Thunderbirds from Concordia, Kansas, 72-63 in the opening round of the McDonald's Classic at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

SFCC (1-0) used a 7-0 run to begin the second half and turned a 29-27 halftime deficit into a five-point lead, using that momentum to secure the win.

"There were two keys to the game for us," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "The first was cutting the halftime deficit to two points so we would feel like we were still in the game, especially with as many young players as we have. The second was the way we started the second half."

Freshman guard/forward Zhanesha Dickerson led a pair of Lady Roadrunners in double-figure scoring with 19 points in her first collegiate game. Sophomore center Alecia Cooley registered a double double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and blocked three shots.

"Zhanesha played extremely well," said Bucher. "Cooley gave us some solid production inside. Seara Clayborn gave us nine points; she hit some big free throws down the stretch. It was a typical SFCC performance; we got contributions from a lot of different people. Our full-court pressure defense was outstanding."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics Department