Feb. 19, 2011

Box Score

It's hard to imagine that a player as dynamic as Louvinia Hayes sometimes needs to be reminded to impose her will on the basketball court.

Such was the case in the first half of Saturday afternoon's City University of New York Athletic Conference/ Con Edison Championship quarterfinal between Lehman and visiting Hunter College.

With 9:38 remaining and the Lightning and Hawks locked in a 21-11 dogfight, Coach Eric Harrison made the decision to sit his star guard down. Up to that point, Hayes had attempted only two shots, in part because her teammate Paula Robinson had come out on fire – her nine early points helped the team shoot out to a 14-4 lead – but also because she seemed a bit too willing to let the action come to her.

When Hayes got to the bench, the coaching staff reiterated that despite her not having won the CUNYAC Player of the Year award days earlier, that she was hands down the best player in the conference and that it was about time to show it.

Looking back at Lehman's 100-50 destruction of Hunter, one could say that Hayes took the message to heart.

After re-entering the action with 8:07 to go and the Lightning ahead 25-13, the senior standout manufactured a personal 8-0 run that included back-to-back three-pointers. Following Hayes second three-pointer, Amanda De La Cruz created a turnover and converted a layup in transition to give the Lightning the 35-15 lead and force a timeout by Hunter coach Vana Loukissas.

If there was one play that encapsulated Hayes' renewed intensity, it came during the final seconds of the first half. In possession of the ball with the game clock winding down, Hayes fired up a three-pointer from the right side that was off the mark. However, Hayes alertly followed her own shot, grabbed the rebound and banked in a runner to beat the first half horn and give the Lightning a 42-20 lead at the break.

To the detriment of the Hawks, Hayes was now brimming with confidence and she, like her teammates, was not about to let up.

In the second half, the Lightning's 5-foot-7 marksman caught fire from beyond the three-point arc. At one point, Hayes canned three three-pointers in a span of four Lighting possessions as Lehman opened up a 58-24 lead. When she was finally removed from the game with 7:43 remaining, Hayes had knocked down six three-pointers on her way to a game-high 35 points (23 in the second half).

Aside from her prowess on the offensive end, Hayes was extremely active in the middle of the Lightning's full court press, frequently tipping balls which helped her pilfer eight steals. Overall, the Lightning scored 32 points off 24 Hawks turnovers.

Lost amidst Hayes' spectacular performance was an outstanding effort by Paula Robinson, who scored a season-high 18 points and whose game-opening spurt was instrumental in the Lightning's fast start. Joining Hayes and Robinson in double figures were De La Cruz, who also chipped in nine assists and five steals, Jaleesa Gordon (11 points) and Chris Mary Martinez (12 points, 3-6 3pt. FGs).

Lehman will now prepare for Tuesday night's matchup with a Brooklyn College team that defeated it 62-54 earlier in the season, though the Lightning was playing without Hayes or Gordon at the time.